NejiTen : Oneshot Collection
by HighQueen
Summary: Collection of romantic oneshots featuring NejiTen. Ch 20: Neji died, Tenten cried, Kishimoto lied. Naruto 616 spoilers. Crack. "I died and you didn't care," Neji said sniffily, "Some friend you are." Tenten glared at him. "It's not my fault Kishimoto-san accidentally made my eyebrows too thick and had to edit me into Lee instead!" she ranted, "And at least you got panel time!"
1. NejiTen : 5 times

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto._

_A/N – This story has been running through my mind just itching to be put down on paper. I hope you enjoy it, my NejiTen fans!_

_It consists of 5 little 'scenes' of NejiTen fluffiness =D_

_Warning – The 4__th__ 'scene' contains lemon. You've been warned._

...

Tenten had many eccentricities; including a profound fascination with pointy and potentially lethal objects, a lack of a last name, as well as a tendency to keep her brown hair tenaciously bound in two tight buns at the top of her head.

This last habit was one that did not go unnoticed by her teammates. Lee, out of his general insatiable curiosity, often pestered Tenten to let her hair loose (in Lee's words, 'unleash her youth and let the petals of her flower bloom') after training sessions.

Neji didn't seem to care, though in reality even the Hyuuga prodigy was intrigued by her hair. Twice or thrice during training he caught himself wondering what she'd look like with it down. He could never really picture Tenten without her typical buns – that would be like picturing Naruto in any color other than orange, or Sasuke smiling, or Ino wearing clothes that actually covered more than 50% of her body. However, the moment he even began to follow this train of thought, Neji, self-disciplined ninja that he was, immediately diverted his mind away from the topic and chose to focus on more important things – in this case, absolutely nothing, since he would generally be meditating when such thoughts arose.

In fact, in all the years the trio was in academy, and for their first two years as Team Gai, Neji and Lee never saw Tenten with her hair unbound; she even maintained her buns while sleeping, and if she fixed her hair it was when she was bathing alone, so they never got a chance to see it.

It was only in their third year together, when Neji was at the impressionable age of thirteen (the age where hormones start to kick in for most young boys, though the Uchiha and Hyuuga may be considered exceptions to this phenomenon) did he see Tenten with loose hair for the first time.

Of course, it wasn't the last.

...

"Twin rising dragons!" Tenten cried, leaping agilely into the air and releasing a barrage of shining weapons towards her teammate.

"Eight trigram heavenly spin!"

The words left Neji's mouth before Tenten could even complete her sentence, and a rotating shield of blue chakra engulfed Neji, knocking away every single weapon.

A few of them whizzed through the air at Tenten, who was forced to dodge, leap, bend over, and twist her body through rather convoluted positions to avoid every single one. She flipped backwards, catching the last kunai that flew towards her between her fingers, spinning it around and hurling it at Neji just as he stopped spinning and the chakra shield dissipated.

It whizzed past his ear, missing by half an inch.

Neji jumped back slightly, and then looked at Tenten, raising an elegant eyebrow. She glared at him.

"You know I never miss," Tenten said. "If you were an enemy that would have been aimed at your heart."

Neji shrugged his shoulders.

"You've improved," he said simply.

Tenten grinned.

"Thanks!"

"…"

"We should take a break for a while!"

"Hn."

The two settled on the grass under a shady tree, Neji's favored meditation spot. Tenten was sprawled on her back, and Neji leant back against the tree, legs crossed and arms folded primly.

They didn't talk, only rested in the comfortable silence. Of course, it wasn't silent for too long…

"TENTEN! TENTEN!" came a loud shout and a green blur hurtled towards the resting duo. Neji (who was sleeping under the pretence of meditating) cracked open one white eye to see Lee launch himself at Tenten, who had just sat up.

"Lee! What the hell?!" Tenten protested as the ebullient boy pounced on her back, grabbing her by her buns.

"I promised Gai-sensei I would show everyone what our precious flower looks like with her petals blooming, and I will not go back on my word!" Lee proclaimed enthusiastically. "If I fail, I will run 500 laps around Konoha on my hands!"

Tenten scowled, rather annoyed at the ridiculousness of Lee's latest 'mission'.

"Get off me right now or I'll stick a kunai right where it hurts!" Tenten growled threateningly.

Lee, though intimidated was not to be deterred from his self-appointed task.

"Please, Tenten, only once!" he whined, grappling with her hair. Tenten flipped him around and punched him, and soon the two were engaged in a full-fledged brawl, rolling around, kicking and pulling like dogs.

Neji watched the scene with mild amusement, which he concealed with a rather disapproving look.

He considered pulling Lee off Tenten – but he hadn't quite reached the possessive stage yet so the touching didn't bother him. And he was pretty sure if anyone could handle Lee in a fight, it was Tenten. After all, she had three years of experience training one on one with _him. _

So Neji decided to close his eyes, and meditate, blocking out the ruckus his other two teammates were creating entirely.

A few seconds later the pair stopped scrambling around, and Lee emerged from the tangle looking triumphant. Tenten's hands were holding her head, and she was scowling at Lee, who leapt away from her, whooping.

"I got them! I got the hair-ties, Gai-sensei! Now we can see our flower in all her beauty!" he yelled.

At this, Neji, unable to restrain his curiosity, fully opened both his eyes.

Tenten had stood up, and was still glowering, and clutching the buns to her head to prevent them from unraveling.

"Lee, give them back right now!" Tenten growled.

"And forfeit a mission after achieving success! Never!" Lee crowed.

"Leee… I mean it…" Tenten's voice had adopted a menacing tone, but Lee just danced around, holding the little pink hair ties out of reach.

"You're so screwed!" Tenten shouted, leaping at him. Momentarily forgetting about her hair in her desire for retribution against her spandex-clad friend, she reached for her shuriken, throwing them with a deadly precision.

It was lucky Lee had his inhuman speed, or he would have lost a pretty vital organ or two then.

However, Tenten had fallen for his trap – her hands had left her hair for her weapons, and the brown locks now loosened, tumbling down her shoulders like a chocolate waterfall.

Neji, for a moment, was transfixed.

Tenten's hair was quite long, only an inch or two shorter than his own. It was chestnut brown, and looked really soft. Neji had a sudden urge to run his hands through it which he immediately dismissed.

Her hair fell in perfect waves, curling and corkscrewing beautifully at the ends. Neji realized with a jealous pang, that perhaps he no longer held the honor of having the nicest hair in the team. Though his long, dark, perfectly straight strands far outclassed Lee's and Gai's ludicrous bowl-cuts (and the hair of most ninjas in Konoha, including that Sasuke Uchiha and his chicken-butt head; _how could Tenten possible find him cute, _Neji wondered indignantly) Tenten's hair was much prettier, at least in Neji's opinion, though he would _never _admit this to anyone.

"Wow! You look really pretty Tenten!" Lee complimented, and Tenten turned red.

"Just shut up and give me my hair ties you idiot!" she shouted, embarrassed.

However, she then noticed that Neji was looking at her. His expression seemed slightly more relaxed than his usual grim, tight one, and she took this as a good sign. Her heart gave a little flutter at his gaze, but she dismissed it. However, she did notice that he stared at her for a full five seconds before diverting his eyes.

Tenten knew she was probably being stupid, but she couldn't help but feel slightly thrilled at the prospect that she had captured Neji's attention for something other than her sparring or ninjutsu skills.

_Maybe I won't kill Lee, _she decided, and giving a defeated sigh, Tenten plopped herself back down on the grass for a few moment's rest, ignoring Lee's comments.

She watched Neji out of the corner of her eye, (though she wondered why she even cared so much about what he thought). He didn't look at her again, or rather made it a point to avoid her eyes.

A few minutes later, Tenten quickly retied her buns, after Lee finally conceded and handed over the hair ties, a small secret smile on her face. Neji's Byakugan was activated, she noticed, something he usually didn't do whilst meditating. Unless he was trying to count the number of birds in the forest (which for some reason she doubted) Tenten was pretty sure he was secret looking at her.

And for some unknown reason it made her heart flutter even more.

...

The second time Neji saw Tenten with her hair open was during Konoha's Grand Spring Festival, when they were fifteen.

He was waiting outside her house to pick her up, dressed in his usual white Hyuuga robes – however, these were made of silk, in honor of the occasion, rather than the cotton ones he normally wore for training and missions.

Neji knocked on her door, and a few moments later Tenten emerged.

He stared at her in shock for a few seconds, blinking his eyes. He'd barely recognized her.

Tenten was wearing a deep red kimono with a dragon pattern embroidered in silver. It hugged her petite figure, and it was the first time she was wearing anything form-fitting.

Neji noticed she had a nice slim figure, and decent curves as well, and the thought made a slight blush dust his pale cheeks.

Her hair was loose again, cascading down her back, her bangs nearly obscuring her large, chocolate-colored eyes.

"Oh, hi Neji!" Tenten said brightly, fully aware of the fact that he was looking at her (not in the perverted way of course).

"Hello, Tenten," he murmured softly.

"Let's go! Lee and Gai-sensei said they'd meet us near the Hokage Tower."

"Hn."

The rest of the day passed quite well for the duo. Though they met Lee in Gai, both dressed in hideous green kimonos, after a few minutes of their asinine blather, Neji was rather frustrated.

He grabbed Tenten's hand, dragging her away from the dynamic duo and into the crowd.

Tenten's stomach leapt. It was the first time he'd held her hand, and his fingers felt warm and smooth intertwined with hers.

They extricated themselves from the crowd, and he immediately let go, and Tenten missed the warmth. She reveled in the fact however, that Neji Hyuuga, the boy who required a personal space of at least one meter, had willingly _held her hand. _

_Don't be foolish, _her inner self chided. _You're acting like one of his fangirls!_

Tenten however, had finally accepted her feelings for Neji – what had started with a slight crush at the academy (mainly for his good looks and calm, polite demeanor) had now grown into quite a massive crush. However Tenten suspected it was more than just an infatuation, but preferred not to dwell on this thought, occupying herself with her weapons, missions and ninja skills instead.

Still, after spending so much time with a boy like Neji Hyuuga, Tenten thought, it was impossible not to fall for him.

_I'm not a fangirl, _she scolded. _I'm his best friend! And he wouldn't even touch a fangirl._

The duo spent the rest of the day avoiding their teammates, mainly in each other's company. They spent some time with Hinata and her team, as well as with Sakura and Naruto, though a majority of the time they were alone together, wandering around the festival, or just sitting on their favorite spot at the bridge over the river, talking.

Neji, contrary to what most people would experience (most people here referring to everyone in Konoha _except _Tenten) could actually be decently talkative. He also had a sense of humor, albeit a sarcastic one, and to Tenten was an extremely interesting person to talk to. Though he maintained his polite tone and manners most of the time, the political correctness which he displayed with others wasn't always used when with her. If Neji did anything close to complaining (or bitching, if it may be called so) it was only to Tenten.

So they sat on the bridge for nearly 4-5 hours, chatting amicably about a variety of things ranging from weapons, to ninjutsu, to the future Hokage, and somehow (after they considered Naruto's dream for the same) their talk landed them to Team 7, namely the defected Sasuke Uchiha.

The sun had set, and it was nighttime. Tenten noticed that Neji looked exceptionally handsome that night, the silver light from the moon illuminating his chiseled features.

"…and those chakra webs were really strong, and he summoned so many damn spiders even I had difficulty eight trigram palming them away…" Neji was saying (in a slightly boastful tone) as he recounted his fight with Kidomaru to Tenten, for quite possibly the fifth or sixth time in the past few years.

Tenten was listening, though she was more focused on his face, and the movement of his lips as he spoke. She blushed and looked away when she realized what she was staring at.

"…it was stupid of him to go seek power in that kind of method. Those seals are strong, but not unbeatable. He would have been better with the Konoha jounin," Neji continued.

"Well Sakura told me his mind was pretty made up," Tenten said. "She tried everything to stop him, she even told him she loved him. Even Naruto did everything he could but-"

"So he rejected her?" Neji asked. Tenten found it rather funny that he was interested in this kind of gossip.

"Knocked her out and left her on a bench," Tenten said sadly, shaking her head. "Poor thing, she was devastated. But I'm pretty sure he _must have _kissed her when she was unconscious, he always seemed pretty possessive about her, I think he really cared about her, more than he showed…"

"Like Uchiha would do anything like that," Neji said, rolling his eyes. "You let your imagination run away with you. At least Lee has no competition now."

"You're forgetting Naruto," Tenten reminded him. "Though he seems rather interested in your cousin," she added slyly.

"Just shut up. I'd really rather we not go there," Neji said shortly, eyes narrowing. "Stupid blonde loudmouth."

"Yeah," Tenten sighed. "Too bad Sasuke's such an ice cube. Must be a clan thing."

"What do you mean?" Neji asked suddenly, straightening up.

"Well," Tenten said carefully, not wanting to accidentally insult his clan (though he wouldn't mind if _she _did, though anyone else would probably have to face the wrath of his gentle fist). "Clans have all these rules and customs, especially the big ones. He must have been bought up that way – not to mention the Uchiha always kept to themselves, so he wasn't very social… stuck up would be a better word to describe him."

"So… does that mean you think I'm stuck up too?" Neji asked, suddenly turning slightly to face her. "Since I'm also from a pretty large, insular clan, with lots of rules and customs…"

"N-n-no!" Tenten spluttered, blushing. "Not at all! Y-you're so sweet! I mean – with me at least," Tenten covered up hastily, though she meant what she said. Though Neji projected an air of arrogance, with her he acted like a completely different person.

"Sweet?" Neji raised his eyebrows, smirking slightly. "I've never been called _that _before."

His eyes were twinkling, something quite uncommon for Hyuuga in general, particularly Neji.

Tenten blushed deeper, meeting his eyes shyly.

"Well, you've been – a very good friend to me," she said softly.

He smiled at her, and it made Tenten melt. It was a genuine smile, a dazzling one at that. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't smile too often. Though the arrogant expression suited his handsome countenance well, his smile would probably make his fangirls die of a heart attack.

Neji thought Tenten looked very pretty at the moment, all shy and coy. He lifted a hand, softly stroking her hair. Tenten's eyes widened, and she felt her stomach leap wildly.

"Well you've been a very good friend too," Neji replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He was looking at her tenderly, and Tenten thought, or rather hoped that he'd kiss her.

He didn't, but scooted a fraction of an inch closer.

"You have nice hair," he said suddenly completely changing the topic, as he twirled a brown lock around his finger.

"Umm… thanks?" Tenten offered, ecstatic at the compliment but not knowing how to respond to this new side of Neji.

"I was jealous at first," he admitted, smiling again. "That you had nicer hair than me. But I think it makes you look very pretty."

Tenten gaped at him – firstly, he'd been _jealous _of _her _because of her _hair_. Secondly, he'd called her _pretty! _

"You should leave it loose more often," he concluded, untangling his fingers and moving back to his original position.

Tenten couldn't trust herself to come up with anything sensible to say, so wisely kept her mouth shut, squealing inwardly.

"It's getting dark," Neji said, standing up. "I'll drop you home."

Tenten nodded, and her stomach gave another excited leap as he offered his hand out to her.

She took it, and relished in the feeling as his warm hand wrapped around hers, and he pulled her up.

They walked towards her house, and only when they had reached her door did he let go of her hand.

"Goodnight, Tenten," Neji said, nodding to her.

"'Night, Neji," Tenten replied, and before she could stop herself, added, "Thanks for – today. I had fun."

He looked at her oddly for a moment, and then smirked slightly.

"Yeah, me too. I'll see you at training tomorrow then?" he asked. "Same time, same place."

"Yeah," Tenten said. "G'night."

He looked at her for a moment longer, a soft expression in his eyes, before turning around and walking away.

She stared after him as he walked away, before turning around and entering her home.

The first thing she did was jump on her bed excitedly, squealing, "Yes!"

...

The third time Tenten left her hair loose was in the middle of a mission, when they were nearly eighteen.

It wasn't an ordinary mission though, but rather a political one, and Team Gai had been chosen to attend a function at a nearby village; it was merely out of politeness. The village was a potential ally, and a relatively strong one at that, and Tsunade seized the invitation as an opportunity to show Konoha's goodwill and as a sign of friendship. Team Gai had just come back from a rather exhausting mission (in which Lee broke a bone, Tenten tore a ligament, and Neji suffered minor blood loss amongst other injuries) so Tsunade thought it was better to give them a relatively light mission which involved no fighting until they recovered entirely.

The village was a rather atypical one, with quite a modern, open culture. Moreover the function in question, Neji realized in horror, was actually a disco party.

His horror and apprehension lessened considerably when he saw Tenten, dressed in her outfit for the 'mission'. Tsunade, fully aware of the fashions in the village had equipped them with appropriate clothes, though by Hiashi Hyuuga's standards, these clothes would certainly fall under the category of inappropriate.

Neji himself looked absolutely delicious, in a black and white tuxedo, the first few buttons of his white silk shirt open to reveal a few tantalizing inches of a pale, smooth chest. His dark hair framed his face, and the overall effect was such that Tenten had to physically clench her fists to stop herself from ravishing him when she first saw him.

Not to mention he looked adorably lost and out of place when they first entered the nightclub (which was the venue of the party) and set his innocent white eyes on all the lasciviously dressed people pressed suggestively against each other, and took in the booming music and the flashing lights.

Of course this adorable look was quite different from the one he had not long before when he saw Tenten in her dress.

Tenten was wearing a short black dress – it was a halter neck dress which ended a few inches above her knees. She was wearing stilettos as well (the heels functioning as detachable kunai) which made her nearly eye level with Neji. The dress hugged her now fully developed curves, and she'd straightened her hair. It was as straight as Neji's now, and it made her look different. Neji decided he liked her natural hair better, but this straight hair was a nice change – it made her look classier, _sexier. _

Not to mention the clothes. Neji _really _likedthe clothes.

Abandoning his usual self-control Neji allowed his eyes to rake over her figure appreciatively. Tenten was fully aware (and thrilled) at the fact that Neji was _checking her out! _She shivered as she caught the look in his eyes; if it had been anyone else she would have said it was a lust-filled gaze. However with Neji, she couldn't really be sure.

Still, she was excited. She had a good feeling about how the night would turn out.

The party itself wasn't as bad as Neji and Tenten had expected. Lee, upon entering, immediately thrust himself into the gyrating crowd with ebullience, and minutes later, he was on the bar top, dancing like a madman.

Or at least it looked like dancing. Neji and Tenten knew better – it was actually a combination of Lee's funkiest taijutsu moves. Of course he executed them quite gracefully, and it was fun to watch. Half an hour later, Lee would became so popular that half the club would stop their grinding to attempt spinning around, kicking their legs up in an attempt to imitate some of Lee's awesome 'dance moves', which were actually his 'Springtime of Youth' attack.

In the meanwhile, even Tenten had decided she wanted to dance; it was something she never did, and somehow it appealed to her.

"Come _on_, Neji," she urged, attempting to drag the handsome boy on the dance floor. She'd noticed a lot of the females ogling shamelessly at him, and apart from _wanting _to dance with him, she wanted to show those damn girls that he was _hers, _so they better back off.

She wondered why it bothered her. She usually never cared about his fangirls in Konoha. Maybe it was the tuxedo – it made an already irresistible Neji even more irresistible.

"No," Neji objected flatly. "I will _not _do that vulgar thing they call _dancing_."

He gestured at a couple, making out wildly, hands wandering as they grinded in rhythm to the music.

"I don't want to do _that_!" Tenten retorted, blushing furiously at the idea.

"Well do you see anyone _not _doing that?" Neji pointed out, and Tenten had to admit he had a point.

The whole club seemed full of couples whose sole purpose seemed to be to suck the air out of their partner's mouth.

"We can just – uh – normally dance…" Tenten suggested.

Neji just looked at her.

"Come on," she begged, making her eyes wide, knowing that Neji wouldn't be able to say no to her if she did. "Please. For me, I really want to."

"You go dance yourself," Neji said. "Go embarrass yourself for all I care."

"It won't be embarrassing if you come with me," Tenten wheedled. "Please, Neji, I'll look like a moron their by myself!"

"If I come you won't look any less moronic. We'll both look like morons."

"No we won't! It'll be fun!" Tenten persisted.

"No way. It's degrading," was the stubborn reply.

"It's just dancing!" Tenten exclaimed. "Pleeease, Neji…" she leaned towards him.

This action unconsciously offered him quite a good view of her chest. Suddenly the idea of doing _vulgar, dirty _things with Tenten seemed rather appealing to Neji. Not to mention, he couldn't resist her if she begged him like that. And she looked really pretty…

"Nejiii…" Tenten pulled at his hand.

"Fine," he relented finally, allowing her to pull him into the crowd.

"Thank you so much!" she squealed, squeezing his hand.

"Only for you," he muttered, the annoyed expression on his face softening.

For the first few minutes, Neji didn't move, just staring at his dance partner.

"Come _on,_ you're no fun!" Tenten persisted. "This is a nice song!"

The music blared, and Neji had to admit, it _was _a catchy tune. (1)

'_It's you… and me… moving at the speed of light, into eternity…"_

Neji shook his head.

"Tenten, _don't_ make me do this…"

'_Tonight… is the night… you join me in the middle of ecstasy!"_

"Aw, Neji, you know you want to!"

"Hell no."

"Yes you do. Stop trying to be so proper!"

"…"

"For me, Neji, please…"

'_Feel the melody and the rhythm of the music around you… around you…'_

And so they started dancing. Hesitatingly at first.

'_I'ma take you there, I'ma take you there, so don't be scared, I'm right here, ready? We can go anywhere… go anywhere… but first, here's your chance, take my hand, come with me…'_

Neji began to loosen up and he actually seemed to be enjoying himself. Their movements were perfectly in sync, just like their sparring.

'_It's like I've waited my whole life… for this one night… it's only me you and the dance floor… cause we only got one night, double the pleasure, double the fun…'_

Soon, Neji's hands were on Tenten's hips, and they were dancing like they had been doing it forever.

'_And dance forev-ev-ever… forev-ev-ever… forev-ev-ever… forever on the dance floor…'_

Ten minutes into it, and Neji and Tenten were _grinding _like every other couple_. _

Hiashi would have thrown a fit if he saw his usually reserved genius nephew at that moment.

A few songs later, the pair left the disco for some fresh air, Tenten leaning heavily on Neji after they had danced rather shamelessly, bodies rubbing against each other every now and then. Neji _had _been a gentleman to some extent – his hands never wandered above or below Tenten's waist or hips.

It was similar to their sparring session in intensity, not to mention dancing could be tiring too. But the physical contact, was far far more, and far far more _satisfying _than anything that occurred during sparring, which at the most consisted of palm hits or punches.

"That – was fun," Tenten panted, nearly toppling over in her heels. Neji grabbed her arms to steady her, wrapping one arm around her waist.

"Mmhmm," he agreed, pulling her close, his breath now ghosting against her cheek.

"N-Neji?" Tenten asked, shocked (but pleasantly so) at his action.

He pulled back slightly, looking at her in the eyes. There was something in his eyes, something intense, that made Tenten giddy. A few strands of dark hair fell over his face, and with a trembling hand she brushed them away.

Neji caught her hand in his own before she could retract it, bringing it to his lips. He kissed the inside of her wrist once, never breaking eye contact.

Tenten shivered, and her legs turned to jelly. She would have fainted if Neji didn't have such a strong hold on her.

"Hn?"

Neji studied her face, one hand releasing her wrist to run through her hair, finally resting on her collarbone. His fingers traced random patterns on her collarbone, as the hand resting on her lower back pushed her even closer to him, so that pretty much every part of her body was pressed against his hard chest.

"Wh-what are we doing?" she whispered, as Neji cupped her chin, the hand on her back slowly sneaking downwards. Tenten shivered again.

"I have no idea," Neji whispered back, his lips brushing the top of her ear. "I can't seem to control myself."

Tenten decided she really liked this _hormonal _Neji, who was touching her in ways she'd even blushed to fantasize about.

She pulled back slightly, looking straight into his pearly, lust-filled gaze. Her eyes sparkled.

"Kiss me, Neji," she said before she could prevent herself.

He looked at her for a moment, smirking, and Tenten was quite sure that he'd deny her request _just _to piss her off. She didn't care all that much, as long as he got to it eventually. She wanted it _so _badly.

"With pleasure," he murmured, fingers brushing her cheekbone as he gently pressed his lips to hers.

Neji's lips were soft, warm, as they slid over Tenten's, and she responded immediately, feeling euphoric.

Soon, his tongue was running along her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth to grant him access, one hand wandering over his hard, silk-covered abs, the other tangled in his silky locks.

Their tongues clashed, and it was like they were sparring again, only on a completely different level. The kiss deepened, and Tenten moaned into Neji's mouth.

He was a genius, so obviously he'd be an amazing kisser… the things he was doing with his tongue were making her lightheaded…

When they finally broke apart, still entwined in each other's arms, Tenten thought for a dreadful second that he may apologize, say it was a mistake.

Luckily for her, he didn't. Instead he looked at her straight in the eye, and spoke, almost confidently.

"Be my girlfriend, Tenten," he asked, stroking her cheek.

It would have been impossible for anyone to say no to the offer, especially Tenten who accepted it with a gleeful yes and another passionate kiss.

They would have been quite happy to spend the rest of the night making out, but unfortunately, it was not so.

A few seconds later, a resounding crash was heard from inside the nightclub, and Neji and Tenten broke apart, identical looks of horror on their faces.

"Don't tell me…" Neji began exasperatedly.

"The idiot managed to get himself…" Tenten continued, shaking her head.

"Utterly and helplessly drunk," Neji finished, now intensely annoyed with the circumstances he knew would soon arise, as more crashes filled the air, followed by a familiar voice shouting something about youth.

Neji spent the rest of his night, in what he considered an absolute waste of what _could _have been precious time with Tenten, assisting Gai-sensei in capturing and controlling an inebriated, wild Lee.

Tenten on the other hand, had to convince the leader of the village that Lee's destructive actions were _not _indicative of any hostility on Konoha's part – he was always like that when he was drunk, and Konoha would certainly repay them for the destroyed nightclub bar and stage.

Luckily, the leader found the whole situation hilarious, much to Tenten and Neji's relief.

As Neji pondered the situation later, he thought maybe it was fortunate he and Tenten had been disturbed. Otherwise, in their crazed state, who knows how far they may have gone…

...

_(A/N : Warning – Lemon ahead.)_

'_Knock knock'. _

Tenten jumped up from her couch, rushing to get the door. She was pretty sure it was Neji and wondered why he even bothered to knock considering he had the spare keys to her house – probably out of common courtesy and Hyuuga etiquette.

Grabbing at her loose hair, Tenten quickly twisted it up into a messy bun, her fingers skimming over her coffee table to find the first thing she could use to fasten it. She finally caught hold of something long and smooth, and shoved it into the bun, holding it up.

Of course, Tenten being Tenten, had grabbed the first thing she could lay her hands on, which in this case was a kunai. Completely disregarding the potential risk of sticking a sharp object perilously close to her head, Tenten ran to open the door.

Despite Neji's protests, Tenten still had a propensity for tying her hair in buns, mainly for comfort and functionality rather than anything.

It had been a few months since their first kiss, and Neji and Tenten's relationship was going _very _well.

"Hey," Tenten smiled brightly as she opened the door.

Neji didn't respond verbally, instead grabbing her and placing a searing kiss on her lips.

He could get quite passionate when they were alone, something which delighted and surprised Tenten.

Minutes later, they were on her bed, and Neji was pushing her down onto the pillows, his fingers trailing up her neck to loosen her hair.

He caught hold of the kunai, and pulled it out, watching her brown curls fall down to frame her face.

He then looked at the kunai in his hand, and glared and Tenten who smiled sheepishly.

"It was the first thing I found," she said.

"You're an idiot," he replied, tossing the kunai to the side. "You could have injured yourself. This is why you shouldn't tie it up in the first place. And for God's sake, if you really have to, don't use something _sharp_."

Rolling her eyes at his reprimand, Tenten kissed him, shutting him up effectively.

He pushed her onto the pillow, pressing himself into her, slipping a hand under the shirt she was wearing (_his _old shirt) to caress her bare skin.

Tenten shivered at his touch, and the kiss turned more heated, as Neji's hands wandered upwards.

A few seconds later, he was fingering the top button of her shirt, looking at her softly.

"May I, Tenten?" he inquired, and her eyes widened. They'd never taken off clothes before, always restraining themselves before they got too far.

But she was more than ready to give herself to him; she had been for quite some time.

"Yes," she whispered breathlessly, and he began attacking her buttons with fervor. It proved to be too tedious a task for the impatient Neji, and he suddenly smirked, reaching over to grab the previously discarded kunai.

"What're you doing?!" Tenten gasped, and his smirk widened. She thought it made him look incredibly sexy.

Neji said nothing, holding the kunai to the shirt and swiping it down with one clean motion. The material slipped off Tenten immediately.

"Neji!!" Tenten cried, suddenly feeling self-conscious and drawing up her knees to cover herself.

She was secretly thankful she'd chosen to wear some of her nicer undergarments – particularly the lacy black bra.

Neji was looking at her predatorily, as he coaxed her knees downwards, kissing her gently, and bringing his hands up to cup her breasts through her bra.

Tenten moaned, pressing herself into his hands as he fondled them, fingers soon slipping underneath the lacy material.

Soon, the bra was off altogether, as was his shirt.

Tenten's hands shamelessly explored every glorious inch of his pale, muscled torso, from the washboard abs to the rock hard pectorals.

Really, he was too hot for his own good, she thought.

Neji seemed to think the same about her.

"You're beautiful," he whispered against her skin, eyes clouded over with lust.

His lips were at her neck, though he was careful not to be too forceful.

Last time he'd given her a hickey, which had led to awkward questions from Lee and Gai at training the next morning.

Soon Tenten was beginning to find it difficult to convince them that she'd injured herself with a blunt kunai. Repeatedly. On different parts of her neck.

Neji's hand slipped between her thighs, parting them gently. His warm hands stroked the skin there, teasingly running up and down.

Tenten had to bite back a command for him to hurry the hell up. He was torturing her, though she was enjoying it immensely, something even he knew.

Tenten gave another loud moan, which soon turned into a gasp as Neji pulled her shorts down in one fluid motion, his fingers now brushing dangerously close to her womanhood.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked softly, looking slightly concerned.

She looked at him trustingly and nodded.

Neji, however didn't do what she wanted so badly from him. Instead he trailed his fingers up and down her thighs again, getting tantalizingly close but not quite touching what she wanted so badly.

Tenten was already wet, and she could feel the heat pooling downwards. It was made worse when he picked up the kunai again, trailing it lightly across her skin.

Somehow the idea of him teasing her in such an intimate way with her beloved weapons made her hornier than before, no matter how _kinky _it may have been.

"Just hurry up already!" she moaned finally, unable to stand his teasing. Neji smirked.

"Impatient, are we, Tenten?" he asked huskily, licking at her earlobe and discarding the kunai to slide his hands over her ass, squeezing.

Tenten moaned again, though her inner ego was calling him an arrogant bastard.

It didn't really matter, she still wanted him, more than ever.

He finally satisfied her, his fingers brushing against her folds, and Tenten bit back a scream. Gently, he slid one finger into her wetness.

This time she did scream.

He rubbed his finger against her, watching her writhe and moan in pleasure. The expressions and noises she was making had turned him hard as well, and he was sure he wouldn't be able to control himself much longer.

Soon, a second finger joined the one inside, sliding in and out.

Tenten, in her ecstasy was randomly reminded of his gentle fist style, in which he used two fingers to close off his opponent's chakra points.

His fingers were skilled indeed, but so much better when used in _this _way.

"Neji, please…" Tenten gasped.

"What do you want, Tenten?" he breathed. "Tell me…"

"I want – you," she managed, biting back another scream as his fingers brushed the sensitive bundle of nerves inside her. "N-now!"

Neji nodded, but didn't remove his fingers. Tenten noticed his Byakugan had activated – he was concentrating on something, and she loved the look on his face.

Tenten shrieked (in pleasure) as a sudden tingling feeling flowed through her – it seemed to come from his fingers, and spread through her body. She wondered if she had got her orgasm, but she didn't think she had. Still it was the most amazing, exhilarating feeling ever.

"What did you do?!"

"Contraceptive jutsu," Neji murmured, smiling.

"Genius!"

"Hn. I know."

"Just – get inside me will you."

Neji stared at her intensely, his gaze smoldering.

"You asked for it," he said huskily.

That had been the first time they made love. Incidentally, it was also the fourth time he'd seen her with her hair loose.

...

The fifth time was on their wedding day. Neji and Tenten were both twenty one.

During the ceremony itself, Tenten's silky hair had been tied up in an elegant knot, courtesy of Ino.

But Neji, of course, had yanked the studded pins from her hair the moment they were alone in their bedroom, a night before the honeymoon.

This time when they made love, it was slower, not the usual fervid sex they usually had.

This time there was no teasing, but just soft promises of love whispered against lips. The whispers soon grew into screams as Neji slid himself into her, sheathing himself in her warm, wet folds.

In their married life, they'd soon realize that sex was quite a nice replacement for sparring at times. Not that they'd give up either.

...

The counting stopped then, for after their marriage, Neji made it a point to tweak the Hyuuga traditions, which his new wife, Tenten Hyuuga had to abide by.

All Hyuuga woman were now compelled to leave their hair loose after marriage. Hiashi scoffed at Neji when he suggested this seemingly ludicrous and pointless precept, but accepted it nevertheless.

Needless to say, Neji's rebellious wife was furious, and didn't obey what she considered a purely chauvinistic display of male dominance. In reality, she was flattered that Neji liked her open hair that much, but rebelled just for the sake of flustering him.

In Tenten's opinion, nothing was more adorable than a flustered, annoyed, sulking Neji who didn't get what he wanted.

So he took to hiding her hair ties – or pulling them out when they kissed, either method was fine.

Tenten Hyuuga once had many eccentricities; but now she was wed, and bestowed with a proper and fitting last name. Her husband, though he found her buns cute, ensured she loosened her hair every now and then. Her morbid fascinations was the only quirk which remained.

Perhaps, her marriage to Neji had exacerbated that particular habit.

Kunai and katana, chakra threads and shuriken, nunchucks and ropes… these no longer functioned _only _as weapons. Neji and Tenten found many more _creative _ways to utilize these ninja tools.

...

_A/N – Ooh, I feel naughty. But how I loved NejiTen. The weapons thing is kinky, I know but somehow seemed appropriate… hm… _

– _Forever by Chris Brown. I LOOOVE this song and for some reason whenever I listen to it I think of Neji and Tenten. Maybe I'm just retarded =P_

_Please review, it would make me very happy!!  
_

_More oneshots to come, as soon as I get time…_


	2. NejiTen : From teammates to lovers

_Disclaimer – Don't own Naruto_

_A/N – Just a little drabble with NejiTen moments, some inspired from the anime/manga. Enjoy, and please review._

...

...

...

"Good luck, Tenten!" Lee wished her, grabbing her hand to wring it up and down enthusiastically. "Fight with the true spirit of youth!"

Tenten smiled slightly, apprehension brimming within her as she readied herself for her first match; she was against an older girl, a kunoichi from the sand called Temari.

"Thanks, Lee," she murmured, shooting a glance at her other teammate.

Neji didn't seem to be paying much attention to her, his white eyes fixated on the Sand Siblings, the female member of whom would be Tenten's opponent.

Tenten couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed; but then she realized it was probably unrealistic to expect a wish from Neji in the first place.

She began walking down towards the battle arena, restraining herself from looking back to see if he was watching – she wondered why his opinion of her mattered so much.

"YOU CAN DO IT TENTEN!" Lee shouted again from above, his teeth glinting, striking some kind of a ludicrous pose. He seemed to have made it his personal duty to be Tenten's cheerleader for the match, and Tenten couldn't but help feel grateful towards the green-clad boy, though she felt a twinge of embarrassment at his antics as well.

Temari was smirking, a rather derisive look on her face as she looked at Lee, and then at Tenten. Neji was watching impassively, his arms crossed.

Tenten wondered if he would even bother actually watching her match, but dismissed the sinking feeling this thought brought, readying her weapons.

...

...

"DON'T GIVE UP TENTEN! YOU'RE THE BEST!" Lee and Gai were cheering wildly, Lee with rather large orange pompoms he had procured from seemingly mid-air.

Neji considered telling them both to shut the hell up and sit down, but then decided not to – why waste breath. Instead he settled for a rather disheartening statement.

"Tenten's going to lose," Neji said flatly.

"Don't say that!" Lee scolded reprovingly, looking at Neji wide-eyed. Neji wanted to jyuuken him. "Tenten is strong, and has trained most youthfully!"

"The Sand kunoichi has a fan, which means it's likely she uses the wind element. Tenten's a long-range weapons fighter which means she has a natural disadvantage. It's not a matter of skill. Tenten's fate put her against someone whose fighting style trumps her own, she cannot win."

"I don't believe you!" Lee burst out indignantly, and as if trying to emphasize his point, recommenced his cheering with twice the initial vigor.

...

...

Tenten cursed.

She would just have to be paired against someone whose element naturally put her own technique at a disadvantage – it'd be impossible to get near the girl and her monstrous fan with her weapons!

It was bad luck – or in Neji's words, bad fate.

Still, Tenten wouldn't give up, and she fought valiantly, unleashing her weapons, directing them with a frightening speed and accuracy at the fan-armed kunoichi.

...

...

Tenten flailed in mid-air as her battered body was hurled towards the pile of weapons – _her _weapons. She was going to be pierced by the very pieces of metal she practiced with every day.

She was relieved when a pair of strong arms caught her, preventing her from crashing into the jagged mess.

She immediately swept aside the twinge of disappointment that it hadn't been Neji, but Lee, _darling, sweet, loyal _Lee who had come to her rescue.

...

...

Tenten lay in the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She lost, but she didn't consider herself a failure. She'd improve next time! She'd win and show them all… Lee, Gai-sensei, Neji…

Neji…

He hadn't even come to visit her once, though she supposed he was busy watching the matches.

She wondered how his match would go – undoubtedly he'd win, genius that he was. Lee probably would as well.

She was the only one who hadn't passed, and despite her initial refusal to give into self-deprecation, Tenten couldn't help but feel ashamed.

...

...

Lee joined her in a few hours – with a distraught Gai-sensei. But it was not the kind of company she'd hoped for.

Lee's frame was beaten, broken, twisted in the most horrific manner, with bones protruding from weird angles. He'd been defeated by the brother of the girl who defeated her – Gaara, the youngest of the Sand siblings.

They said he'd never be able to be a ninja again.

As she thought of Lee's hard work, bright smile, and overwhelming determination, Tenten couldn't stop the tears that streamed down her eyes.

It wasn't fair.

...

...

That night, Tenten awoke to see a figure by her bedside – or rather, standing in between the two beds where she and Lee lay.

It was Neji, she realized with a catch in her throat. She immediately pretended to be asleep. He seemed to be observing Lee anyways, not her.

"Is it true that he'll never be able to be a ninja?"

Neji's voice, soft but yet harsh, cut through the air. Tenten opened her eyes – no use feigning sleep in front of the Byakugan.

"That's what they say," she murmured sadly, turning to look at Lee's sleeping figure.

Neji sighed.

"He should have never tried being a ninja. It was fated that he would fail," Neji said, shaking his head.

Tenten bit back the angry retort to this comment; she didn't want to start an altercation and wake up Lee.

"There's still hope for him, and he was an excellent ninja, even if just at taijutsu," she whispered, defending her friend.

Neji chose to ignore this, fixing his gaze on her instead.

"It was unfortunate you were put against a wind user," he said. "Weapons and long-range attacks are futile against the wind element."

"Well," Tenten said carefully, suddenly feeling lighter that he understood; _understood _that she had been at a disadvantage, glad that he was not berating her for lack of skills. "I guess I need to get stronger."

"It's not a matter of strength," Neji replied. "Strength wouldn't have made a difference. You need to expand your fighting methods."

She may have been offended, but coming from Neji she knew it was the closest thing to personal advice she would get. He must have meant it well, and he had raised a valid point, so she nodded.

"I'll leave now," Neji said, and did just that, without a 'good night' or a 'get well soon'. Tenten sighed, slumping back on her pillows.

....

...

"Train with me."

It was more of a command than a request the way he said it. Tenten was bewildered nonetheless. Neji Hyuuga, genius prodigy, wanted to train with _her. _

"I – um – I," she stuttered, struggling to come up with a response. He raised an elegant eyebrow, obviously questioning why she didn't acquiesce his demand immediately.

"Why?!" she blurted out. "Why me?"

"Your Soshoryu would be excellent practice for me to improve my kaiten," he responded. "And you'd get good practice trying to fight my gentle fist as well."

The way he put it, it was a win-win situation, Tenten thought.

Still flattered that he had come to _her, _his genin teammate – when all the other genin were going to their Jounin level teachers - for training help, Tenten agreed.

"Alright. When do we start?"

"Tomorrow morning, eight."

Tenten nodded, smiling slightly, as he turned around and walked away.

Who was she kidding? She was absolutely _thrilled_ at the prospected of helping Neji Hyuuga train for his final match.

...

...

Tenten panted, exhausted, her weapons entirely spent – they littered the surrounding area, which was also covered in large circular craters made by Neji's kaiten or heavenly spin attack.

She massaged her arms – he'd closed off quite a few of her chakra points during their hand-to-hand combat, and her clothes were torn.

Neji seemed tired as well, but to Tenten's displeasure, he was unmarked, not even a single scratch across his pale face. His long hair, as usual, fell flawlessly down his back, and he moved with an effortless grace. She wondered how he did it, and nearly envied him for his ability to look so damn _perfect _even after a battle.

They'd been at it for hours, metal clashing against whirring chakra, palms hitting, bodies winding around each other in an intricate dance.

Even though he'd beaten her, Tenten felt an exhilarated thrill fighting him. It seemed like they'd been doing it for years.

"Our fighting styles match well," Neji finally said, catching his breath.

Tenten nodded, but vowed to defeat him sooner or later.

...

...

Four days later, Tenten watched with a triumphant grin, twirling a kunai around her finger, as Neji wiped a trail of blood off his arm.

When he turned to look at her, his eyes were blazing, Byakugan activated; he quickly fell into his fighting stance, as Tenten unleashed another flurry of weapons, this time senbon.

He was harsher on her that day, probably motivated by his own defeat, even though it was the first time.

Yet somehow, when their training finally came to end , he seemed proud of her. He didn't compliment her directly of course, but something in his eyes, when he looked at her, seemed to radiate some sort of pride.

She was helping him improve. But even he was helping her. They both knew it.

And even better, Tenten realized, was that this time, even his hair was slightly disheveled, and his clothes were rather rumpled.

...

...

Clunk. Thump. Clatter.

The shuriken and kunai whizzed through the air, deflected by Neji as he spun around, emitting a sphere of chakra – they embedded themselves into nearby trees, or clattered at Tenten's feet.

Tenten didn't waste energy leaping back as the shuriken buried itself mere centimeters from her foot – she knew it wouldn't hit, so no point. She was exhausted.

They'd been going at it for hours – she'd unleashed wave after wave of weapons of every kind imaginable, and he'd continued spinning around, unleashing his chakra to deflect them all.

This, however, was the last time for her.

"I can't keep up much longer!" Tenten cried, panting. "No human being could!"

She'd used up her arsenal on him anyways – though Tenten hated giving up in front of Neji, this time he'd left her with no choice.

Neji stopped spinning, the chakra fading away from around him. He stood, rigid, his back to her.

"I think I've run out of chakra," he gasped, and suddenly lurched forward, collapsing on the ground.

"NEJI!" Tenten exclaimed, eyes widening. "Are you alright?!"

Concern welled up within her as she rushed towards his limp form – he'd used up his chakra, and fainted.

Despite her worrying, Tenten couldn't suppress the victorious feeling that flooded through her.

_I beat him, _she thought. _He's exhausted his chakra, and I'm still standing!_

She knew she was just lucky, and that Neji's technique required far more chakra than her own, but still, it was a considerable feat.

...

...

"Tenten?" Neji asked wearily, rubbing his eyes as he regained consciousness. The girl was bent over him, dabbing at his forehead with a wet cloth.

"Neji!" she shrieked, as he struggled to sit up on the ground – weapons were lying everywhere, and they were seated in the middle of a rather wide crater.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Tenten cried, relieved, launching herself at him and hugging him.

Neji winced at the force of the hug, but didn't say anything. He usually despised people touching him, or even invading his personal space, which Tenten seemed to have forgotten completely about at the moment. But somehow, when she wrapped her arms around him, a look of immense worry wiped off her face, her brown eyes wide, he didn't mind it that much. So he didn't push her off, but just sat there for a few moments, allowing her to hug him, before she pulled away herself.

Tenten retracted her arms hastily as she realized who she had just hugged.

_Stupid! _She chastised herself mentally. _He's going to think you're some weird, obsessive fangirl now! And how could you be idiotic enough to forget he's Neji, Neji who hates being touched, forget hugged!_

She was surprised that he hadn't pushed her off, and took it as a good sign.

He was looking at her, and she met his eyes, blushing furiously.

"Um – sorry about that," Tenten mumbled. "I – I was just worried about you."

Neji looked a bit confused, but didn't say anything, brushing a few strands of dark hair from his eyes.

"Are – you feeling alright now?" Tenten ventured.

He nodded, before standing up shakily. She wanted to offer to help him, but thought better of it – at least for the sake of his ego. She was pretty sure he'd be in quite a sour mood after his defeat.

To her surprise, Neji smiled at her, ever so slightly. It was a rare smile, but yet dazzling, and it made her stomach flutter and her heart skip a beat.

"Thanks, Tenten," he said softly. "And you've improved a lot."

Tenten nodded, unable to formulate a sentence. Neji Hyuuga, the ice prince, had just _thanked _her and _smiled _at her and _allowed _her to hug him!

"We should train together more often," Neji continued.

Tenten grinned at him, eyes shining with happiness, before she bent down to start collecting her weapons.

He was waiting for her, which surprised her – usually he just walked off when they finished.

"Here," Neji said, handing her a few shuriken and senbon. Tenten took them, wondering what had happened – maybe the chakra exhaustion had left him delirious?

They walked back from the training grounds together that day – in silence, but still together. And that marked the start of a routine which would occur nearly every single day for the next few years; a routine which both soon began to look forward to, and then cherish.

They'd grown from teammates to sparring partners. And pretty soon, they'd be best friends.

...

...

"How are you feeling?" Tenten asked tentatively. Neji was lying on the bed, his dark hair spread over the covers, bandages adorning his forehead, and covering his arms.

To her surprise, he smiled at her. He seemed lighter, as if a large burden had been lifted off his shoulders. His face was relaxed, his expression pleasant.

"Tired," he responded truthfully. "But free."

She didn't ask what he meant by that. She understood.

Soon, he'd be pouring out his whole life story to her, with his grievances about his father and the clan. She'd listen silently, sympathizing for the boy, finally understanding the cause behind his frigid demeanor. She wondered why he'd chosen her to pour his heart out to – but she was glad, and offered him the comfort she could.

After that incident, after losing the fight with Naruto, Neji Hyuuga changed drastically.

He was kinder to Tenten, his manner with her gentler. He'd pay more attention to her, and his voice and tone would be softer, less sharp.

And Tenten, though she'd always liked him even as his old, pessimistic, cold self, was grateful to Naruto for this.

...

...

"How are you feeling?"

This time her voice trembled, as if she was holding back tears. But there were probably no tears to hold back, for she had released them all when she received news of his injury.

'_It's a life-threatening one, the arrow pierced through him entirely,' she remember Shizune saying. 'I don't know if his operation will be successful, for it will be a complicated procedure.'_

Tenten had sobbed buckets that night; her best friend, the boy she was steadily becoming very close to, could _not _just be ripped away from her. Neji, _her _unbeatable, strong Neji, wouldn't just give in and _die. _

Neji was gazing at her, the expression in his eyes soft.

"Don't worry, Tenten," he whispered. "I defeated him."

Tenten gave him a watery smile.

"You can tell me the details later."

Neji smirked.

"Hn. Of course."

"I was so worried about you, I'm glad you're alright…"

"Did you cry over me?" he asked teasingly. It was a simple question, but Tenten thought it quite preposterous. There was no point lying though – Neji could always tell when she was lying.

"Well," Tenten began evasively. "I was upset."

"…"

"Yes, I did, okay!" she snapped. "But you can't tease me about it! So shut up, I – I was just worried! I thought I'd lose you…"

Her voice softened, though Neji's smirk seemed to have grown.

Overcome by what she would later call absolute madness, Tenten suddenly grabbed on of Neji's hands, lying on the bed, grasping it her own. His hand was cool, and surprisingly smooth. She intertwined their fingers, before looking up to meet his eyes. She instantly felt extremely foolish.

_What were you thinking, moron! _She scolded herself. _You can't just hold his hand like that!_

Neji, too looked slightly confused. His smirk had disappeared, as he had raised his eyebrows, politely questioning, without actually uttering a word.

"You-you scared me, okay!" Tenten said defensively, cheeks turning red. His fingers felt so nice against hers. And he didn't seem to mind…

"I didn't mean to," Neji said frowning. "I'm sorry."

His gaze soon fell on their joint hands. He didn't move his hand away though, allowing her to play with his fingers, a slightly bemused look on his face.

She left a few moments later, feeling both ridiculously happy, and rather foolish at the same time.

...

...

As the years passed, they were always together; no longer just for sparring, but even before and after, sometimes for meals as well.

Neither would have had it any other way. They both found the other the most tolerable (and appealing, though they'd never admit this) person on the team. Neither could stand Lee and Gai's asinine antics for far too long; of course this was just an excuse to get away from the dynamic duo and spend time together – and excuse which worked swimmingly as time passed.

In reality though, they just enjoyed each other's company. And maybe, just maybe, there may have been the slightest case of someone _liking _someone else, a small crush, nothing more…

...

...

Neji always knew Tenten mattered a lot to him; she was without a doubt the most important person to him in Konoha (which may not have been that big a deal since he didn't have _that _many important people, since he wasn't on best of terms with his family, but still).

But it was only when they fought against Kisame, years later, and she was trapped within a water prison next to him, gasping for breath, did he realize, with a pang of fear for her well-being, how much he cared.

Tenten was choking, obviously running out of breath. Neji wouldn't allow that to happen.

"Byakugan," he shouted mentally, making the hand sign.

Seconds later, his own sphere was shattered, and shimmering water droplets splashed to the ground, as Neji trigrammed Kisame's water clones away with sharp, chakra-infused blows. Lee soon came to his aid with a weight-laden kick, taking out the other clone, hence breaking Tenten's water sphere as well.

Neji's heart was racing – she'd be alright, she _had _to…

Tenten fell forward, and he rushed to her, catching her easily in his arms before she could topple down. He helped her up, white eyes full of concern, staring into her discombobulated brown ones.

His arms were still around her, wrapped securely around her waist. He didn't let go.

Tenten blinked, looking a bit disoriented for a few moments.

Neji was holding her, his hands warm on her waist. He was impossibly close – she could feel his breath on her face. His dark hair was wet, framing his handsome face, and he was gazing at her, an expression of what could only be described as tenderness on his face.

"Tenten," he gasped. "Are you alright?"

Tenten's heart fluttered – at his tone, at the look in his eyes, at their physical proximity.

"Yeah," she managed. "Thanks Neji. I owe you."

Neji heaved a sigh of relief, looking at her for a few more moments. He leaned closer, by a minimal fraction, and Tenten had a sudden thought (perhaps wishful thinking) that he was going to kiss her.

However there was a loud splash and explosion, and the duo turned around to see Gai-sensei, gates open, radiating chakra, in a rather familiar stance.

It would be an interesting battle.

They watched it, with Lee, all three of them crouched together on the water. Tenten was still leaning onto Neji, and his arm was still around her, but neither of them seemed to mind.

When the battle was finally over, and Team Gai emerged victorious, Neji gently disengaged himself from Tenten, helping her up, as they walked towards Kisame's battered corpse.

Tenten's heart was beating rapidly – whether from the excitement of the fight, or something else, she didn't know…

...

...

The first time he kissed her was just a few months after the mission against Kisame.

It had been in the evening, after one of their training sessions.

They'd been sprawled side by side against a tree, relaxing after a rather strenuous battle.

She'd been staring at him dreamily, unknowingly, before he slowly leant over to press his lips against hers.

It was soft, tender, gentle – Neji kissed her slowly, taking his time, running his tongue against her bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. Ever the perfect gentlemen, he'd rested his hands on her hips, not venturing further.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent, savoring the feeling of his lips on hers, his silky hair between her fingertips, his strong chest pressed up against her body.

For Tenten, it was heaven – a heaved she was rudely wrenched out from when a rather Lee interrupted the kiss later on, congratulating the duo enthusiastically, and then tearfully demanding them how long they'd been hiding it from him.

When Tenten thought about it, how long she'd been hiding her true feelings for Neji, she realized it was probably _years. _

They'd grown from teammates to sparring partners to best friends. And now, Tenten realized with a ripple of excitement wracking her body – they were _lovers. _

_..._

_...  
_

It was considered improper among Hyuuga customs for a Hyuuga to court a woman. Of course, Neji had never really given a damn about the clan customs, and did what he pleased with Tenten.

Some rather scandalous acts raised many a Hyuuga elder eyebrow, particularly the public displays of affection.

Tenten had never thought Neji would be the kind for physical intimacy in public; though he was an excellent lover when they were alone (those hands were skilled at more things than his gentle fist) he maintained impeccable self-control in public. She suspected he was doing it to piss of the Hyuugas – she really didn't mind, as long as she benefitted, which she _really _did.

...

...

The snide whispers finally ended, five years later, when Neji Hyuuga discarded his male ego, bent down upon one knee, holding Tenten's hand in one hand, a sparkling ring in the other (the stone was actually made up of multiple detachable miniature spiked shuriken) and proposed to the girl he'd known for nearly all his life.

Their wedding of course, had been a wonderful affair – but that's for another story altogether.

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FIN

_A/N – Liked it ? Didn't? Let me know through a review please! _

_The episode with the water sphere is actually canon (shipuuden 14) you must have seen it, if you haven't go watch it now! All nejiten shippers will love it! Though I have exaggerated the scene (its my interpretation of it)_

_Also the episode during the Chuunin exam arc which shows them training together is cute – Its ep 55, and it only shows it for a few seconds, but I loved it nonetheless. Its Tenten's dialogue in that scene (which I've copied here) which inspired me to write this fic in the first place _


	3. Ipod Challenge Pt 1

_Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of the songs used here_

_A/N – so I really wanted to do one of those ipod shuffle challenges which everyone keeps doing… you know, where the ipod randomly gives you a song and you write a short ficlet on it… so I decided to do one on NejiTen with 15 drabbles based on 15 shuffled songs, where I play the song a write a short oneshot/drabble on it._

_Oh and the lyrics are italicized and bolded in the drabbles, or used as dialogues… you'll figure it out_

_Not all of these are NejiTen, though quite a few are. There's also some SasuSaku, InoShika, NaruHina, ShikaTema ;) hope you enjoy them, this is my little experiment. And Please review!_

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**1 - Miss Independent – Kelly Clarkson **(_perfect song! I'm liking this!)_

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**_Miss Independent… Miss Self-Sufficient…_**

Tenten was always independent. She'd always been self-sufficient as well. The determined young, tomboyish kunoichi had been orphaned at a young age, when her parents, shinobi, were killed on a mission. However, though grieved by their loss, this tragedy did not deter the little Tenten from her goal, or making her an overly emotional angsting child. In fact, the incident only spurred the child's determination; she would become an amazing ninja, just like her idol Tsunade. She would show them!

**_Miss Keep-your-distance…_**

"Twin Rising Dragons!" Tenten cried, leaping up into the air and releasing her signature jutsu. It was one of their daily sparring sessions, though this one was particularly intense.

Neji certainly had to keep _his _distance as he jumped back, with a shout of "Rotation!" and unleashed his Kaiten, barely managed to miss the wrath of Tenten's deadly weapon barrage that came raining down upon him.

**_Miss Unafraid… Miss Out-of-my-way… Miss Don't-let-a-man-interfere, no…_**

Neji's Kaiten deflected the armory of weapons back at his bun-haired partner, but Tenten wasn't scared. She nimbly leapt up, turning and twisting to avoid them all, catching a few with her hands and flinging them back with a lethal accuracy.

Neji's spinning stopped, but he had to jump again, out of her way, barely dodging the next onslaught. His Byakugan saved him, as usual.

**_Miss All-alone… Miss Almost-Grown… Miss Never-let-a-man-help-her-off-her-throne_**

Every sparring practice, every mission, Tenten's skills as a kunoichi grew. The whole Team improved themselves, following their motto of 'Stronger than I was yesterday'. They were all geniuses in their own way. Lee was a genius of hard work and taijutsu. Neji was a natural genius, and the genius of the Hyuuga clan, mastering techniques before he was taught.

Tenten, however, was a Weapons Mistress – a genius of ranged combat. Despite the fact that Neji was always a slight step ahead of her, despite the fact that she rarely ever defeated _him, _or penetrated his ultimate defense… she was a Weapons Mistress and nothing would change that, or take away that title from her. Not even him.

**_By keeping her heart protected, she'd never ever feel rejected…_**

Tenten's only weakness, or at least in her mind, was her – rather massive crush – on her teammate and training partner, Neji Hyuuga. She couldn't be blamed for this, though. With his aristocratic features, long hair, lean, muscled torso and unique white eyes, he was far too attractive for his own good. And after spending so much time with him on a daily basis, being his _best friend _and sparring partner, being the sole person he trusted with his life, with his secrets – she couldn't _help _it.

But Tenten would never show her infatuation, now would she reveal it to him. He would probably just scorn her, like he did his multitudinous fan girls. It would ruin their friendship, and there was no way Tenten would risk that. In front of Neji, she would always maintain her façade of 'just friends'.

**_Little miss apprehensive… said, ooh, she fell in love…_**

It was a lie of course. Even the crush was a lie. Since it was so much more than that. She was in _love _with Neji Hyuuga. The genius prodigy who would probably never look her way if he knew of her emotions.

Tenten and Neji had abandoned their jutsus for hand-to-hand combat. Neji was nearly out of chakra, and Tenten had exhausted the weapons she had on her. So it was time for some taijutsu.

Tenten, though not famous for it, was actually very talented at taijutsu; expected of course, considering her sensei and teammates. Her style was more along the lines of Lee's rather than Neji's though, due to her lack of Byakugan. But it was more graceful than Lee's, and the fact that she could now predict most of Neji's moves, having trained with him for years, gave her another advantage.

Tenten blocked Neji's attacks, trying desperately not to let those chakra-infused fingers hit her. It was Neji's 'Eight Trigrams Twenty-Eight Palms', and blocking him was increasingly difficult, as the boy moved with an inhuman speed. She attacked too, kicking and punching, even attempting an attack similar to Lee's 'Konoha Whirlwind', but he dodged, finally managing to land a blow on her stomach, and then her arm.

Tenten gasped out – he'd been gentler though, since he didn't want to injure her permanently, only closing down the chakra points without causing any actual internal damage. But still, after ten more minutes of intense sparring, he'd manage to close of most of her chakra points, and had her cornered against a tree.

**_What is this feeling taking over?_**

Tenten's heart sped up at their close proximity. Neji Hyuuga, the boy of her dreams, had her pinned up against a tree. They were both panting, and his white eyes were locked with her own, his nose almost brushing hers, his warm breath dancing across her lips. She knew they had reached the position only because of the sparring (which requires close proximity), but still, a girl can't help but dream, not even the independent Tenten…

"Tenten," Neji murmured suddenly, his voice impossibly husky.

"What?" she snarled at him, trying to calm her heart, her nerves.

Her legs felt like jelly, with him so close, as he placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her with his body.

**_Thinking no one could open her door…_**

Neji smirked, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I _win,_" he said smoothly, and though she wanted to hit him for his arrogance, she couldn't.

"Fine, now let me go," she muttered, a blush creeping to her cheeks. He moved a bit closer, his nose brushing against hers.

'What the hell is he doing?' Tenten wondered frantically.

"I think I deserve some sort of a reward, don't you, for beating you for the – third time straight this week?" he asked, his voice teasing.

Tenten fumed – the asshole! Though he had a point. For the past couple of years, neither of them had ever been able to beat the other three times straight. Their spars usually resulted in draws. Neji beat Tenten sometimes too, and she beat him on rare occasions, but usually, he never had more than one or two straight wins, before she won, or before another draw.

"I've been sick this week, you know that," Tenten growled. It wasn't entirely wrong. She'd been distracted, lovesick – thanks to _him._

"Excuses, excuses," Neji murmured, raising a hand to brush a few strands of brown hair out of her angry brown eyes.

Tenten's eyes widened, and Neji smirked again, amused by her reaction.

"What's wrong, Tenten?" he asked smoothly. "You're – blushing…"

Tenten couldn't believe. Neji Hyuuga, the stoic Neji Hyuuga was _flirting _with her?! That couldn't be real.

Tenten pinched herself. It hurt.

**_Surprise! It's time – to feel – what's real._**

"You're not dreaming, Tenten," he said, still amused. Tenten could have hit him for his presumptuousness, if she wasn't drowning in his beautiful eyes.

**_What happened to Miss Independent? No need to be so defensive… _**

She would have defended herself, probably whipping out a kunai in the process. They'd been confronted by others about being secretly in love before, and Tenten had vehemently denied it. Neji had just glared – that was enough to scare away most people. But this time, she couldn't bring herself to deny the prominent blush on her face, or the fluttering in her stomach.

And when her long-time crush, the boy of her dreams, leant forward to press his soft lips against hers, Tenten responded eagerly, wrapping her arms around his neck, and tangling her hands into his soft, silky hair.

If he actually reciprocated her emotions – there was no way she was going to stop him!

**_Goodbye, old you, when love is true…_**

…

…

**_Miss Guarded Heart…_**

Sakura carefully arranged her face into a rather emotionless mask, not unlike that of the boy who stood in front of her.

Though he was more of a man really – a freakishly handsome one at that. One who she hadn't seen for months, _years, _but one who haunted her every night in her dreams.

She tried suppressing the emotions that welled up inside her, the want to run into his arms, sob into his chest, sobbing 'Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun!'

He'd probably kill her if she touched him. She couldn't be that foolish, that _open. _She'd have to hide her emotions this time. She'd have to trick him, somehow.

**_Miss Play-it-smart…_**

"Sakura, hm?" he asked, his lips curving up into an amused smirk. His eyes, his dark beautiful eyes, were completely cold.

"Sasuke," she said loudly, trying to make her tone as derisive as possible, purposely leaving out to honorific.

"Why are you here?" he asked her flatly. His voice suggested that he obviously didn't have time for her.

"To take you back to Konoha," she responded, without missing a beat.

He scowled at her.

"I don't want to come back. Konoha is nothing to me now," he spat. Sakura was surprised at the venom he'd injected in his usually emotionless voice.

But she'd been expecting that from him, so his words didn't pierce her as much as they should have.

**_Miss If-you-wanna-use-that-line-you-better-not-start, no…_**

"But what about us? Naruto and I?" she asked, carefully allowing a measured amount of emotion to slip into her voice, letting her lip tremble slightly, as she walked towards him.

"You two mean _nothing _to me," he snarled. "Only my vengeance for Itachi matters now."

'Wrong line, Sasuke-kun,' Sakura thought bitterly, before aiming a chakra-infused fist into his face.

He was shocked at this sudden attack, particularly from Sakura, and barely managed to dodge her incoming fist, his Sharingan whirring.

The fight began, and Sakura gave it her all, throwing her heart, her pain, her anger, her sorrow into her chakra-filled punches and kicks. Sasuke fought back, and managed to draw blood in a few places, though she could tell he still wasn't taking her seriously.

He never had, and he never would, the bastard. He thought he was far too _high up _for her. That would surely be his downfall, Sakura decided confidently.

**_But she miscalculated… didn't want to end up jaded…_**

"Damnit!" Sakura cursed, jade-green eyes flashing. The senbon missed Sasuke by a bare centimeter. If only she'd aimed a little to the right, anticipating his dodge…

She'd left her right side open, uncovered by the attack, and Sasuke took advantage of this, slashing at her with his katana.

Green chakra sizzled, and Sakura healed her own wound before the blood even had a chance to leak out.

Sasuke seemed impressed, cocking an elegant eyebrow.

"Medical ninjutsu, huh? Not bad," he said, smirking at her.

Sakura tried suppressing the blush, reminding herself that he was a _traitor _who wanted to _kill _her, and any compliment from him meant _nothing. _

Sasuke's Sharingan caught it however, and the smirk widened.

She'd shown him her true weakness.

**_And this miss decided not to miss out on true love…_**

When Naruto reached them, half an hour later, the ground was littered with huge cracks (Sakura's taijutsu), charred rocks (Sasuke's fireballs) and scattered weapons.

He'd expected this of course. Sakura was _stronger _now, and he knew she'd be able to hold her ground against Sasuke.

But what he hadn't expected, was to see the pair, their clothes torn and blood dripping from various wounds, wound tightly around each other, kissing passionately.

There was only so much Sakura could take, and though she knew he was probably doing it just to distract he, so he could gain the upper hand, she kissed Sasuke back furiously, reveling in the exhilarating feeling, clutching onto the moment for as long as she could, before the hand that was tangled in her hair slid down to her neck, pressing lightly, and she slowly felt her consciousness fading from her.

His ebony eyes, from which the bloody Sharingan had vanished, were the last things she saw.

**_What happened to Miss Independent? No need to be so defensive…_**

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_A/N - Ooh, that was fun. Couldn't resist adding the SasuSaku either =P Next song!_

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**2 - That's my name – Akcent **(_… difficult…)_

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Shikamaru _hated _these kinds of missions.

The kinds where they had to spy on lecherous shinobi in pubs and bars – the kinds who broke every single damn ninja rule of abstaining from woman, alcohol and money.

Because when they were in pubs and bars – Ino somehow went inexplicably crazy.

And it was _troublesome_.

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…

**_All the time I thought about you… I saw your eyes and they were so blue…_**

Shikamaru, as much as he tried focusing his genius mind on mundane things such as clouds and the _mission _at hand, couldn't tear his eyes away from the blonde, blue-eyed kunoichi on the bar top.

It was Ino. And she was dancing rather lasciviously to the music, swaying her hips, grinding, dropping down… to the delight of the other males, who cat-called and wolf-whistled – and the chagrin of her teammate, Shikamaru.

It's not like he _minded. _He shouldn't have. She was single. He had Temari, back in Sand. She was in her perfect right to do whatever she liked with herself, with her body, even if it meant dancing like some kind of a drunk – no, he really shouldn't be going there.

Ino was drunk, he could tell, though not completely sloshed. Drunk enough to display herself promiscuously, but sane enough to maintain her 'sexiness' while doing it.

She caught his gaze, her blue eyes sparkling, and she gave him a small smile, as she slid down the pole – damn, when did she start doing _that?_

**_I could read there just one name, my name, my name, my name…_**

Ino was beckoning to him now, with a finger, smiling flirtatiously. Shikamaru shook his head, divert his eyes.

"Too troublesome," he muttered, and from the roll of her eyes, he could tell that she'd understood what he'd mouthed.

Shikamaru, lazy bugger that he was, never danced.

He preferred _watching _her – from the corner of his eye. Just to make sure she didn't get in trouble of course, nothing else. All for the good of the mission, because if Ino went too far, their mission would be at stake.

But since her task had been to seduce the targeted shinobi, Shikamaru supposed she was doing a good job.

Far too good a job – she was supposed to make _one _man want her, _not _all the men in the room.

Not that Shikamaru wanted her himself, or anything. He crossed his legs, as discreetly as he could.

**_Because of you I'm flying higher… _**

As he watched her dance, it made him – _high _– indeed.

**_You give me love, you set on fire…_**

Ino called him towards her now, holding out a hand.

He shook his head again.

"Shikamaruuu…" she purred, batting her eyelashes at him.

**_You keep my warm when you call my name…_**

Troublesome woman. She was doing it _just _to piss him off, he knew it.

"Shika-kun, come on!"

Still he couldn't resist, not when she called his name out like that.

**_That's my name, that's my name, that's my name…_**

…

…

'Temari will murder me' Shikamaru thought regretfully, as his purple-clad teammate danced around him, her hands wandering over his torso, her face _far _too close for a normal teammate's.

He didn't bother stopping her – it would be far too _troublesome. _

So he may as well let her do what she wished, taking advantage of her inebriated state… like he had every other mission like this.

…

…

The bedsprings creaked. He'd snuck into her room, earlier that night, after they'd stumbled back from the bar, kissing furiously.

The shinobi had been assassinated, and Chouji was fast asleep in the other room, which he was _supposed _to be sharing with Shikamaru.

**_You are the one who lights the fire… I am the one who takes you higher…_**

"Shikamaru…" Ino moaned.

He increased his pace. The bedsprings creaked again, louder this time.

"Shikamaru!" This time, she practically screamed his name out.

Shikamaru smirked against her collarbone.

**_I lose my voice when you say my name, that's my name, that's my name, that's my name…_**

Temari would surely murder him with her oversized fan if she found out. But she hadn't found out the last two times, so it wasn't likely this time either…

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_A/N – Yikes. But somehow, it flowed out that way, when I listened to the song! How I love making Shika a lecher, and Ino – whore herself out for him. Not very nice of me, I know, but somehow, I like it =P It had to be ShikaIno for this, due to the whole 'blue eyes' part of the song… _

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**3 - The Uruk Hai – Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings**

(_agh! How will I do this! I love the track, but there are no lyrics! If you're wondering, it's the Lord of the Rings theme which plays when Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli are chasing the orcs)_

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_I hate foreign films, _Neji decided vindictively, eyeing his bright-eyed girlfriend as she stared at the flashing screen ahead, gazing far too adoringly at the blonde-haired actor for his comfort.

The stupid _elf, _Legolas his name was, slid down a flight of stairs, on a freaking _shield, _shooting arrows out of his long bow as he did it. Somehow, his long, straight golden mane of hair remained perfectly straight as he did it. Tenten squealed in delight.

_I thought only I could do that, _Neji thought bitterly. _Stupid blonde. At least my hair is natural… _

"Oh my gosh, did you _see _that, Neji?!" Tenten cried, grabbing his arm, as Legolas kicked the shield he was sliding on at an enemy, puncturing the orc's chest. Neji shrugged her off.

"I bet I could do it," he muttered back, but Tenten was too occupied with that darned _Legolas _to reply.

_Stupid elf, _Neji thought condescendingly. _I could do his stunts easily! And my kaiten is SO much cooler. _

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…

As Neji, Tenten and Lee leapt through the woods, a few days later, in pursuit of the enemy ninja who had kidnapped the children they were supposed to be protecting, Neji heard Tenten humming a rather familiar tune as she raced beside him.

_Hell no, _he thought, extremely annoyed. Tenten's obsessions (other than her weapons one) annoyed him, when they didn't pertain to him.

Neji, like most Hyuugas, was extremely possessive.

…

…

Neji irritation increased, as Tenten unfurled a scroll to summon her newest weapon.

A long, curved, wooden bow, complete with a quiver of shining arrows.

_Insane, _he thought, shaking his head, as he moved into the stance for his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, which for the record, totally _beat _Legolas's stairs stunt, as well as the whole 'jumping onto a moving horse' thing.

But when he watched her, from his Byakugan eyes, releasing arrow after arrow with an alarming speed and precision, her eyes focused and sparkling, her body poised perfectly, Neji couldn't stop the smile that graced his face, as he shoved a chakra-infused palm into the enemy's chest.

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_A/N – because of course, who can resist Legolas? And yes, Neji would get jealous. =) Rather OoC, I know, but fun writing! And, yes, the bit where Neji, Lee and Tenten were running after the shinobi who kidnapped the kids was kinda parallel to Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli chasing the orcs that kidnapped the hobbits. Which is why Tenten was humming the tune… sigh…Hopefully the next one will have lyrics…_

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**4 - I Love the Way – Gabriel Antonio** (_...what the heck!)_

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"I'm ready!" Tenten cried, winding the chakra strings around her multiple weapons.

**_I love the way you wind it girl…_**

She leapt into the air, directing the stringed weapons with nimble movements of her fingers. The large shinobi seemed puzzled by her actions, but couldn't think over it much, for Lee raced at him, a green blur, shouting 'Leaf Spinning Wind!' and knocking him over and throwing him heavily off balance.

**_The way you pop, block and do it…_**

Tenten spun around mid-air, blocked one of the other shinobi headed towards her with her nunchucks, before tossing a miniature explosive kunai at his face.

Pop!

The explosion was small, so not to accidentally injure Neji or Lee in the process, but since it hit the shinobi's face, it was deadly. He fell to the ground, blood pouring out from his mangled visage.

There was a second shinobi racing at her from the back.

"Tenten, duck!" Neji called out quickly.

**_The way you drop down and do it…_**

Tenten did so, dropping back down to the ground, pulling her string of weapons with her.

"Eight Trigram, Empty Palm!" Neji grunted, and the shinobi who had been headed at her was pushed back by his forceful attack, and slammed into a tree.

Tenten immediately leapt back up into the air, twirling herself around gracefully. Her weapons moved with her, forming some kind of a large cyclone of pointed metal.

Neji and Lee rounded up the rest of the shinobi into a small circle, before leaping away, as Tenten's spinning weapons came raining down.

There was chaos for a few seconds, metal whirring through the air, nearly obstructing their view, and a few small explosions caused by the explosive kunai she'd added to her collection. But when the smoke cleared, Tenten landed on the ground swiftly, beaming at them.

"Mission complete," she said, winking, and shooting a thumbs up not unlike Lee's own.

**_I love the way you do it…_**

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_Hm… I actually kind of liked it. I love focusing on Tenten's battling, since she's not given all that much time in the anime. None of Team Gai is, according to me. And I didn't want to make this another clubbing, dancing scene… though I may have taken the lyrics a bit TOO literally…_

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**5 - Distance – Naruto Shippuden**

(_Oh come on! Isn't that ironic – it's a Naruto opening…)_

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**_You are my friend…_**

"Why Naruto?" Sasuke growled, "Why do you care about me so much?! Why can't you just let me be!"

The blue-eyed boy smiled at him brightly, though his eyes spoke of his sorrow.

"Because we're friends."

**_You are my dream…_**

Chakra sizzled and crackled, as the two boys clashed, months later, both of them not willing to go back on their will.

Though the physical distance between them was minimal, the distance between their hearts could not be breached.

No matter how hard Naruto tried, Sasuke would always be lost to him. He would never come back.

**_Oh, the distance!_**

And yet, when Madara Uchiha moved to take the final blow on Naruto, to extract the Kyuubi and kill the blonde for good, he was stopped by a black and white blur, that threw itself in front of Naruto's battered, bleeding form.

Naruto and Madara both glared at the ebony-haired boy in shock, and Sasuke smirked back, the Mangekyou Sharingan spinning in his eyes.

Wide, watery blue eyes met glittering red and black.

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered.

…

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_A/N – very short, I know, but I've written enough Sasuke Naruto stuff, and didn't want to drag it pointlessly. And of course, that had to be Sasuke and Naruto… kinda cliché, huh?_

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**6 - What Goes Around Comes Around – Justin Timberlake**

_Hehehe… this should be fun… _

…

…

Sakura stared in shock at the scene in front of her, gasping slightly.

Naruto's blue eyes met her gaze, and his tender expression hardened.

"Don't tell me you didn't expect this, Sakura-chan," he said finally, his voice cold.

…

…

_Flashback:_

"N-Naruto!" Sakura stammered, disentangling her from the ebony-haired boy.

Her blonde teammate stared at her in shock, a betrayed, _hurt _look in his eyes.

"S-Sakura…" Naruto whispered, his eyes taking in her swollen lips, tussled hair. He looked at the boy next to her, who was obviously fighting to hide a triumphant smirk. "Sasuke…"

"Naruto, I can explain," Sakura began, but he cut her off, holding out a hand, and turning away.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. I understand."

'Despite everything I did for her,' Naruto thought, as he walked away, shutting the door behind him. 'She chose him. Even after he betrayed the village and broke her heart…'

**_Hey girl… was he everything you wanted in a man?_**

"He probably is everything she wants," Naruto muttered bitterly.

Sasuke was the total opposite of Naruto. He was dark haired, dark-eyed and pale, when Naruto was light haired, bright-eyed and tanned. He was cold and silent, when Naruto was loud and enthusiastic.

**_You know I gave you the world… You had me in the palm of your hand…_**

Sasuke had ignored her, when Naruto had literally worshipped the ground she walked on.

Naruto remembered the numerous times he had asked her out on dates – each time, all he'd gotten was a punch, or a whack on the head with the chakra-infused palm of her hand.

**_So why your love went away, I just can't seem to understand…_**

Though she probably never _had _loved him, he realized. It had all be a lie, to get him to stop chasing after Sasuke.

He remembered her exact words, and the feeling of shock, mingled with rising hope that he'd felt when she'd confessed that 'she loved him, not Sasuke', her eyes bright amidst the falling snowflakes. Kiba, Lee, Sai and Kakashi had been as stunned as he had.

**_I thought it was me any you babe, me and you until the end, but I guess I was wrong…_**

'She lied to me when she told me she loved me,' Naruto realized. 'I was foolish to believe her.'

**_Don't wanna think about it… Don't wanna talk about it… _**

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts of the green-eyed, pink-haired kunoichi, so he could focus on his meditation. It didn't work however, and he wobbled out of distraction, immediately unbalancing the wooden plank that was tottering precariously on the long, sharp stalagmite the toads made him use for practice. Naruto hurtled down with a shout, before Fukasaku's long tong curled around him, preventing him from falling to his death. It was the eighth time that day – he really was getting nowhere with this meditation stuff, and he was getting sick of it.

**_I'm just so sick about it, can't believe it's ending this way…_**

Sakura and Sasuke, Sakura and Sasuke, Sakura and Sasuke…

The girl of his dreams, and the boy who _he _had nearly lost his life for, so he could bring him back to the village to fulfill the promise he'd made her when he loved her…

The thought of them together tormented him, and yet he couldn't hate either of them. He couldn't understand why.

**_Just so confused about it… feeling the blues about it… I just can't do without ya…_**

Of course, being the _kyuubi _container, Naruto shouldn't even have expected her to love him.

No one loved him. The villagers had hated him since he was a kid, even though it wasn't his fault, even though he tried so hard to be a good ninja.

And after everything he did for her, and for Sasuke, after risking his life for both of them, they left him in the dust.

**_Tell me is this fair?_**

It was made worse, however, when Sasuke defected yet again, leaving Sakura and Naruto more broken than before.

**_Is this the way we're really going down?_**

Team Seven was shattered, yet again. And this time, there was no Naruto waiting to pick up all the pieces.

This time, Sasuke was gone, and Naruto wasn't about to go chase after him again.

**_Is this how we say goodbye?_**

"We should've expected this from him, he's Sasuke," Naruto muttered to a red-eyed Sakura. His eyes watered too, and her pain stabbed him, but he would _not _hug her, as much as he wanted to.

She'd rejected him already.

Damn that Sasuke.

**_Should've known better when you came around, that you were gonna make me cry…_**

"Sakura's gone!" Naruto cried, his voice cracking as Kakashi relayed the news to hin.

Kakashi nodded sadly, and Naruto felt one of the last parts of his heart, one of the last unbroken pieces, crack at this news.

She'd left him, again, to chase after Sasuke. He wouldn't come home this time, though, Naruto knew it.

**_It's breaking my heart to watch you run around… 'cause I know that you're living a lie…_**

When Sakura came back to Konoha, looking utterly defeated, her green eyes dull, Naruto didn't even have to ask her what happened.

He was only grateful that Sasuke hadn't killed her.

She apologized for running away without telling him and he forgave her immediately. They became friends again, Naruto and Sakura, though their friendship was tense this time, more awkward than before.

_End flashback._

…

…

"I – I thought-" Sakura began, her lip trembling.

"No, Sakura," Naruto said firmly, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Don't say anything."

**_It's okay baby, 'cause in time you will find…_**

He looked down at the girl in his arms, the white-eyed, dark-haired girl, who had stiffened, and had a rather frightened expression on her face after Sakura's intrusion.

"I don't love you, Sakura. I love Hinata now, and I always will. Don't expect me to come running to you, just because you don't have Sasuke anymore," Naruto said calmly.

**_What goes around comes around, comes around, comes all the way back around…_**

Naruto then turned away from his teammate and childhood crush, leaning down to kiss the shaking girl in his arms, and ease away her worries, and reassure her of where his heart truly lay. He had meant every word that he said.

"I love you, Hina-chan, I promise," he murmured against Hinata's lips, as the door slammed shut behind him.

He thought he heard a muffled sob before it shut, but he continued to kiss her anyways.

**_What goes around comes around, comes around, comes all the way back around…_**

…

...

_A/N – that's not usually my style. I'm usually all for happy endings, but the song inspired it. I don't mean to antagonize Sakura, but it just happened. And I am SO anti-NaruSaku. It is SO wrong. I know I made Sasuke a moron in this, but I can't always go making him all nice =P and in the manga, he IS being a moron!_

_..._

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_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

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_...  
_

**7 - How to Save a Life – The Fray**

…

…

**_Step one, he says, we need to talk…_**

"We have to rescue her!" the dark haired boy nearly shouted, his eyes flashing behind his orange goggles.

The silver-haired, newly-promoted Jounin looked away, his mind in a turmoil as he remember the cause of his father's death.

"As a shinobi it's sometimes essential to sacrifice your companions for the sake of the mission," he said finally, ignoring his teammate's growing wrath. "That's a law. If this mission fails, the war will continue, and many more sacrifices will occur."

"WHAT?!" growled Obito, stepping forward.

**_He walks you say, sit down, it's just a talk… he smiles politely back at you…_**

Obito's face was perfectly serious, his face hard.

"That's just speculation! Just for that you'd simply throw away a companion who's been with you through thick and thin?!" he asked, enraged.

'We'll rescue her later,' Kakashi promised, though he didn't say it aloud. 'It's too dangerous right now…'

"When you and I were injured, she saved our lives with her medical jutsu! We'd be long dead if it wasn't for her!" Obito ranted on, clenching his fists.

"That was Rin's duty," Kakashi couldn't help but say. This seemed to anger Obito further.

They stared each other down for a moment.

**_You stare politely, right on through…_**

Obito lunged towards him suddenly, and Kakashi barely side-stepped the punch aimed at him.

"I DEFINITELY CAN'T STAND YOU!" Obito shouted.

"Whether or not you hate me, I'm still your commander, so you have to obey my instructions," Kakashi replied coolly.

…

…

**_Some sort of window to your right, and he goes left, and you stay right…_**

"Why do you refuse to help Rin?! Only you have the strength to save your companion!" Obito's eyes were wild now, his expression fierce.

…

…

"Rin… Rin gave a medical pack out of concern for you… she sewed a charm into it…" Obito said, trembling with rage.

Kakashi remember the gift, very well, as it rested in his knapsack. He also remembered the sparkle in her eyes when she presented it to him earlier that day.

'If Rin dies, this is all my fault,' he realized. Though Obito hadn't said the words, it was pretty much obvious.

Rin, the girl who had healed him earlier, her hands soft on his wounded shoulder…

**_Between the lines of fear and blame, you begin to wonder why you came…_**

'I have come here for the mission,' Kakashi told himself, as he felt his resolve weaken. 'The mission must succeed. Otherwise more will die – and I will be dishonored like – like my _father_…'

'I will be blamed for the failure of the mission – but if not, I will be blamed for Rin's death…'

There were lines to be crossed, and it was a tough choice to make. But there was no time to waste, and Kakashi had to decide fast.

"The most important thing to a shinobi is to be considered a tool in the mission," Kakashi recited, not quite understanding the meaning behind his own words.

Obito stared at him incredulously, slightly fearful as well.

"Is that – is that what you really think?" he asked softly.

…

…

"Of course, in the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash," Obito said, his voice thick with emotion. He looked straight at Kakashi, as he spoke his next words, words that would pierce the silver-haired boy's heart, and remain with him forever.

"But those who don't care about their companions – are even _worse _than trash!"

…

…

Kakashi winced, as a shooting pain lanced up his shoulder.

'It's almost healed now,' he remembered Rin telling him, a few hours back. She had smiled sweetly. 'But if you overdo it, the wounds will open," she added knowingly.

_Rin…_

…

…

"I will protect my companions!" Obito announced, the finally matured Sharingan spinning in his eyes. Kakashi clutched at his bleeding eyes, barely able to make out the form of his teammate, his _friend, _standing in front of him and the enemy ninja, kunai in hand.

_Obito…_

…

…

"Kai!" Kakashi shouted, releasing the genjutsu.

Rin's eyes fluttered open.

"Kakashi! Obito!" she gasped, her face lighting up.

…

…

The ceiling rumbled, and rocks began to fall down.

Kakashi, Rin and Obito dashed for the exit, but not before a rock hit Kakashi's new blind spot, knocking him over. Obito whirled around.

…

…

"Kakashi!" Obito hollered, leaping at the boy and pushing him out of harm's way.

…

…

**_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend…_**

"DAMNIT!" Kakashi cursed, biting back his sobs. Rin gasped, tears flowing from her eyes.

"It's alright…" Obito croaked, from where he was buried under the rock. The visible half of his face smiled feebly.

…

…

"I'm – the only one – who didn't give you a jounin – present…" Obito choked. "What was good, I was thinking… and now, I've come up with it…"

"Obito," Kakashi began.

**_Somewhere along in the bitterness…_**

"Don't worry," Obito said, smiling a bit painfully, as he quoted Kakashi's words from before. "It won't be excess baggage."

…

…

"Rin, use your medical jutsu to transplant my Sharingan into Kakashi's left eye," the dying boy said.

…

…

"What kind of a commander – what kind of a jounin am I?" Kakashi spat out with self-hatred. "I couldn't even –" Kakashi slammed his fist on the ground, unable to complete his sentence.

**_I would have stayed up with you all night…_**

…

…

"You're a great jounin," Obito managed. "At least that's how I feel."

…

…

"Rin!" Kakashi cried urgently, holding out his hand. The girl didn't respond, staring at Obito with tear-filled eyes.

"RIN! Grab my hand!" Kakashi shouted.

Obito weakly pulled his hand away from hers, and Rin took Kakashi's offered one, trembling. He pulled her out, as the rocks buried their friend, ending his life.

"OBITO!" Rin screamed.

**_Had I known how to save a life…_**

…

…

"Rin, stay back!" Kakashi commanded.

She began to protest, but he cut her off, his palm crackling with electric blue chakra, his brand new Sharingan spinning.

"Rin – Obito like you… he _loved _you – and for that, I will protect you, even if I die…"

…

…

"Kakashi," Rin shrieked, "M-my feelings… I –"

Kakashi cut her off, feeling immensely disgusted with himself. Regardless of how _he _felt personally, he didn't deserve her. And he would _not _let the girl who Obito _loved _and _died _for confess to _trash _like him.

"I-I was the kind of trash that would abandon you," he said, stuttering, before charging at the incoming ninja.

'But I will never abandon you now,' he thought to himself.

…

…

**_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend…_**

Years later, a silver-haired man held the limp form of a woman in his arms, cradling her against his chest.

She seemed so peaceful, as if she were sleeping.

**_Somewhere alone in the bitterness…_**

Kakashi resisted the urge to brush his lips against hers, just once, placing her form down next to the large memorial stone.

His visible black eye was watering, and tears were already leaking from the hidden red one.

**_And I would have stayed up with you all night…_**

Kakashi looked up for a moment, and then turned his gaze on the large stone in front of him, and the woman that lay at its foot. The woman they had both loved.

"Take care of her, Obito," he murmured. "It's your turn now… if only I could have … prevented this…"

**_Had I known, how to save a life…_**

...**_  
_**

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_A/N – oh, that was sad =( but Kakashi Gaiden does tend to be sad. Yes I support KakashixRin – I think he would have liked her, but so not to dishonor Obito's memory, didn't act on it. Or maybe he did, we never will know… but that song is so perfect for the three of them! I love Obito! Obito come back !!! =('_

_I think I'm going to have to end this here for now… the next eight shuffle-song-stories will be in the next chapter. Sorry, not all of them are actually NejiTen – the pairing just didn't fit some of the songs, and there were others that did, so I couldn't resist!_

_Please review!_


	4. Ipod Challenge Pt 2

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or any of the songs here. _

_A/N – and the shuffle challenge continues… 8 songs to go ! =) this is fun_

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_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

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**1 – Money Money Money – ABBA**

_(bit obvious who this is going to be about! Oh and in this, the lyrics are in the dialogues, cus somehow that just made so much sense to me)_

…

…

Tsunade shoved aside a stack of paperwork, glowering at the tottering pile that still remained on her desk.

They were mainly bills – for missions, for ninja equipment, for festivals – heck, even Naruto's Ramen bills (which for some inexplicable reason were being sent to her, the Hokage) had found their way amongst the stack on her desk, and those were pretty hefty.

Tsunade cursed, banging her fist down on the table. A large crack appeared.

"What's wrong," Shizune asked tentatively, as Tsunade grabbed the glass of sake next to her, chugging it down with one gulp.

"I've had enough of this," Tsunade snarled.

Shizune bit her lip, expecting an outburst.

"I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay!" Tsunade grumbled. "Ain't it sad?"

Shizune nodded, unsure of what to say.

"But still there never seems to be a single penny left for me," Tsunade continued morosely, gesturing to the treasury, from which she often used money for her addictive gambling and betting. According to the bills, it was nearly empty.

"That's too bad," Shizune finally offered, her tone sympathetic.

Tsunade grunted in agreement, slamming her hand on the desk as she stood up. It broke into splinters. The Hokage ignored this, however, continuing her rant.

"In my dreams, I have a plan… if I got me a wealthy man…" she mused.

At that moment, a large, white-haired man popped his head through her window, his eyes bright.

"Did someone mention they wanted a wealthy man?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "You know my Icha Icha are really popular, they sell fast and get me _lots _of cash…"

Tsunade bashed him on the head, before mumbling quietly.

"I was referring to – Dan…"

"Go on, my lady," Shizune said quickly, not wanting her mentor to start despairing over her dead loved ones now.

"Yes, as I was saying, if I got me a wealthy man," Tsunade went on, "I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball…"

Jiraiya's perky face popped back up again, at the words 'fool around', but once again, he was bashed away.

"Money, money, money," Tsunade chanted, closing her eyes and clutching her blonde hair. "Must be funny… in a rich man's world…"

Shizune nodded her head vehemently – no point disagreeing, and pointing out that Tsunade would have more than enough money if she didn't waste it all on gambling, or lose it all through her abysmal betting propensities.

…

…

_Hee hee. That was fun =) that song so suits Tsunade though! Can you imagine her in Meryl Streep's role, running around and singing! I totally can! Or maybe that's just me… *blushes*. And Jiraiya's words and the Dan bit weren't a part of the actual song, but the rest of the dialogue was (from the 'I work all night' part)_

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_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

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**9 - Always – Saliva**

_(Gasp! This song… the story just FITS so well…)_

…

…

Sasuke stared in shock at the familiar figure in front of him. Long hair, features like his own only more mature, harder, red eyes with that familiar pinwheel pattern…

He could make out Danzo's shocked face. He knew it was his own genjutsu, that he couldn't actually have come back – but his presence stirred up painful memories. Sasuke bit his lip, trying to make out the blurring sight in front of him. He'd used the Mangekyou too much, he was probably losing his eyesight as a result…

_**I hear a voice say 'Don't be so blind'**_

"Itachi-nii-san, why won't you play with me anymore?" a younger, chubbier, seven year old Sasuke sulked, sticking out his bottom lip petulantly.

"I've been very busy with missions," Itachi explained, though little Sasuke thought there was something _odd_ with the way he was looking at him. Itachi walked off, swiftly poking Sasuke in the head as he did so. He seemed in a hurry, and Sasuke wondered if he was hiding something from him.

_**It's telling me all these things that you would probably hide…**_

"To Itachi, your life weighed more than the entire village of Konoha!" Madara boomed, and Sasuke's heart nearly stopped as the weight of the truth crushed him.

_**Am I your one and only desire? **_

"I miss spending time with you," Sasuke confessed, and Itachi smiled at him. It was a warm smile, though his older brother seemed regretful.

"You're at the academy, Sasuke, and I'm on missions, so I barely get to see you anymore," he replied, ruffling Sasuke's hair.

_**Am I the reason you breathe, or am I the reason you cry?**_

Sasuke gasped, as the Sharingan matured in his eye for the first time. He grabbed a kunai, that was glinting under the moonlight, and aimed it at his retreating brother.

Itachi dodged it just in time, whipping his head around for an instant, before turning away and leaving Konoha, leaving Sasuke behind.

Sasuke thought he was hallucinating, but under the moonlight, he'd thought he'd seen one crystal tear shimmering on Itachi's cheek.

_**Always, always, always…**_

Sasuke grunted in exertion, as he aimed the kunai at the target. He flipped back down, landing on his feet as he surveyed his work. Six had hit the target perfectly. Two had missed by barely half a centimeter each. Sasuke cursed, and pulled them out, before standing at the middle of the clearing again, kunai clenched between his fingers and his teeth, as he attempted the exhausting training he'd seen Itachi do all those years ago.

He always trained with the goal of defeating Itachi. He always trained keeping Itachi's techniques in mind. He always trained so that one day, he could kill the man who'd broken his heart and shattered his world.

_**Always, always, always…**_

"Damnit, Itachi!" Sasuke shouted out loud, wishing that maybe his brother had been there to _help _him with his techniques instead of abandoning him and betraying their family!

_**I just can't live without you!**_

Sasuke glared at his blonde teammate, grabbing his collar before shouting out spitefully.

"How would you know what it's like to lose your loved ones?! Huh?!"

Sasuke remembered his mother, his father, and then – Itachi's smiling face. He shook Naruto furiously.

" How would you know the pain, when you've been alone from the start!"

_**I love you**_

Sasuke remembered the comforting feeling he got, when he was piggyback riding on his brother's back, his nose buried in Itachi's soft hair… or the feeling he got when he was in his brother's strong embrace. It was a feeling of safety, security, and most of all, _love._

_**I hate you**_

"I've festered my hatred for you, and it's made me stronger!" Sasuke shouted, his eyes blazing as he summoned his chakra. Blue electricity sizzled in his hand, and the sound of chirping birds filled the air.

Itachi raised an elegant eyebrow, but didn't speak or move.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke roared, rushing at his brother, the hate, the abhorrence, the detestation fuelling him on.

_**I can't get around you**_

"Give up on your vengeance, Sasuke. It will get you nowhere."

It was probably the tenth time he'd heard that same piece of advice.

Sasuke's blood boiled when he thought of his brother, his brother who had sacrificed everything, _everyone, _for the sake of peace.

"No," he growled. "Vengeance is what I live for."

_**I breathe you, I taste you, I can't live without you**_

Memories flooded through Sasuke, memories that he'd locked up because they were far too painful to think of.

But after Madara's revelation, he allowed himself to think about Itachi.

He allowed himself to think about the times they'd shared together, his comforting scent, his warm embrace, the tender expression in his eyes…

Tears spilt from Sasuke's new, star-shaped Mangekyou Sharingan, as he remembered the brother he was being forced to live without.

_**I just can't take any more this life of solitude**_

Suicide was not something Sasuke hadn't considered. It was why he headed so recklessly into battles. His life didn't matter that much to him anymore.

But there was no time killing himself, for he had a brother to avenge.

_**I pick myself off the floor, and now I'm done with you**_

A seven-year old Sasuke struggled to stand, pushing himself off the blood-stained floor with his hands.

"H-how could you?" he whispered, tears streaming down his face, as he regarded the bodies of their dead parents. "I-Itachi, how could you d-do this?"

_**I feel… like you don't want me around**_

Sasuke stared after his brother's retreating back, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead. Itachi was acting strange… and distant…

_**I guess I'll pack all my things, I'll guess I'll see you around…**_

Sasuke quickly backed his books, and grabbed his bento box and rushed to school. It was pointless asking Itachi to drop him today – he probably wouldn't. It hurt Sasuke that his brother was acting so strange, so strangely uncaring.

Little did he know of the conflict playing on Itachi's mind, of the sight that would meet him as he rushed from school in a few hours.

_**It's all been bottled up until now**_

Cling! Clash! Bang!

Hundreds of shuriken fell to the floor. Each of Sasuke's throws had been perfectly matched and intercepted by his brother.

Sasuke quickly created a clone, jumping at him from above, Chidori in hand.

It was pointless though, since later he'd find out he was caught in a genjutsu the entire time…

_**As I walk out the door, all I can here is the sound… Always, always, always**_

The genjutsu shattered.

Itachi seemed impressed.

Sasuke was furious, and hurled a large shuriken at his brother, quickly making the signs for a 'Shadow Shuriken Jutsu'.

_**Always, always, always…**_

"Katon: Goukanyo no jutsu!"

"Katon: Goukanyo no jutsu!"

Identical blazing balls of flame sped out of the brothers' mouths and collided in the center. Soon, Itachi's flames were tainted the black color of Amaterasu, and quickly swallowed up Sasuke's.

_**I just can't live without you!**_

When Sasuke woke up the day after the massacre, the first thing he realized, after feeling the wound in his shoulder, was that Itachi, the one who'd given him the wound, was _gone._

_**I love you**_

"Nii-san!" Sasuke shouted excitedly, flinging his arms around his older brother's waist as an unsuspecting Itachi arrived home from school.

"Let's play something!" he suggested exuberantly, not giving his brother time to even respond.

"Sasuke, Itachi has homework to do!" his mother scolded, but Itachi, seeing the disappointed look on Sasuke's face, patted his brother's messy hair.

"I can finish my homework later," he said, smiling at Sasuke's thrilled expression.

_**I hate you**_

"Not enough hatred," Itachi murmured into Sasuke's ear, slamming the boy against the wall and holding him up by the neck with one hand. He looked Sasuke straight in the eye, before torturing him with the Tsukuyomi.

_**I can't get around you!**_

"My aim," Sasuke said, his voice thick with emotion, "Is to kill a certain man."

Sakura and Naruto stared at him, wide-eyed.

_**I breathe you, I taste you, I can't live without you…**_

"Why did you do it," Sasuke asked aloud, one day, as he sat by the Uchiha memorial."Why would you do this to me, Itachi?"

_**I just can't take any more this life of solitude. I pick myself up the floor, and now I'm done with you.**_

Sasuke struggled up, as Itachi walked towards him, shielded by the monstrous form of his Susanoo.

_I have no more chakra, _Sasuke realized.

This was it.

_**I left my head around your heart.**_

Sasuke had worshipped Itachi as a kid. Itachi was everything for him – an older brother, an idol, his _world._

_**Why would you tear my world apart?!**_

Sasuke gasped at the scene before him – it was like his perfect world was shattering to pieces around him. Dead bodies, so many of them… blood, Uchiha blood, splattering the compound walls…

_**I see the blood all over your hands**_

"Wh-why?" Sasuke gasped, staring at the silhouette of his brother, and the blood that pooled at his feet. Their parents' blood.

Itachi's red eyes gleamed.

"To test my capabilities…"

_**Does it make you feel more like a man?**_

"To test your – capabilities?" Sasuke repeated disbelievingly, unsure if he heard him right.

Itachi couldn't be that cruel.

His beloved older brother was not that heartless, was he?

_**Was it all just a part of your plan?**_

It was all planned, Sasuke realized with a jolt.

The massacre, Itachi joining Akatsuki, Itachi dying by Sasuke's hands and transferring all his powers to him.

The only reason Sasuke was alive, and so powerful right now, was because of the foresight and the care his older brother had harbored for him.

Sasuke's heart throbbed, as more tears poured out of his eyes, mixing with the blood.

_**The pistol's shaking in my hand**_

Sasuke's kunai trembled in his seven-year old hands.

Itachi wanted him to fight him, after getting the special eyes, after killing a best friend.

But could he really – fight his older brother?

_**And all I here is the sound **_

The chidori crackled in his fingers, the sound of chirping birds filling the air. But this time, the attack wasn't meant for Itachi.

Sasuke charged forward – Itachi's genjutsu had given him the recovery time he needed, had stalled Danzo for long enough.

_**Always, always, always**_

Sasuke remember the gentle smile that encouraged him to go to the academy, that congratulated him when his report card came, regardless of their father's indifference.

_**Always, always, always**_

He remembered the calloused hands, which had taught him how to hold and throw kunai and shuriken properly. The hands that killed their parents for the sake of the village, for _his _sake. The hands that flew through hand seals, creating a jutsu to draw out Orochimaru and seal him away, so that he could no longer torment Sasuke.

_**Always, always, always,**_

He remembered the eyes, which had been full of warmth and compassion before they bled over with the blood of the Uchiha clan – eyes with immense power, that had been transplanted into his own body, a part of Itachi that was now a part of him…

_**Always, always, always, always.**_

Because wherever he went, Itachi's chakra, Itachi's eyes, Itachi's soul and Itachi's memory would _always _be with Sasuke.

…

…

_A/N – oh. that was heavy. but that song lyrics suit them so perfectly ! that's a drabble I've had in my head for a while, but I've never put it down on paper. But when the opportunity arose (how I love my ipod for this) I couldn't resist. I'm sorry to those who wanted NejiTen. Actually, the past few haven't been NejiTen… but I couldn't help it_

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_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

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**10. Can you feel the love tonight – Lion King**

_(zomg, yayyyy! I love this song!)_

…

…

Lee and Gai crouched behind the bushes – luckily Neji's Byakugan was deactivated, and hence their presence hadn't been revealed.

It's not like they were trying to _spy _on the saner half of their team or anything – it was just that Gai had a pending bet with Kakashi on whether or not Neji and Tenten were a couple. Gai had vehemently denied what Kakashi claimed was obvious romance. Gai had said it was platonic love, nothing more. And now, Gai and Lee were watching the duo for signs on which one of them was correct.

Kakashi was probably watching too, from some tree above, if he wasn't buried behind his perverted book, that is.

Neji and Tenten weren't training. They'd worn themselves out some time earlier. The field was littered with weapons and hollows made from Neji's Kaiten to testify the fact. Now they were merely resting, Neji leaning against a tree in silent meditation, Tenten sprawled in the grass not far from him. They'd been in that position for a few minutes.

There was no movement for a while, before Neji cracked open a white eye, and turned to look at his female teammate. He called out to her, and Tenten got up, shifting herself so she was sitting next to him, leaning against the tree as well. Neji said something to her, and Tenten giggled. He said something else, his usually serious face relaxed, a hint of a smile lighting up his handsome features. This time, Tenten laughed out loud, her voice ringing in the otherwise quiet forest.

Lee gasped.

"I can see what's happening!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Gai asked, confused.

"And they don't have a clue," Lee continued dismally, shaking his head melodramatically as he pointed at the duo resting beneath the tree.

"Who?" Gai asked, still bemused.

"They'll fall in love," Lee said. Gai's thick eyebrows rose.

"And here's the bottom line," Lee went on, dropping his voice conspiratorially. Gai leaned in.

"Our trio's down to two!" Lee finished, his expression sorrowful.

Gai contemplated this.

"Oh," he muttered, not quite believing his protégée.

He looked over at Neji and Tenten again. Though Neji was surprisingly relaxed, and surprisingly close to the bun-haired kunoichi, their actions didn't quite indicate a romantic relationship.

The sun was setting, casting reddish-orange beams on the teammates' faces. Suddenly, Neji raised his arm, which he'd been retying the bandages on, and wrapped it around Tenten's shoulder. Tenten didn't seem shocked by this, but moved closer to him, resting her head on _his_ shoulder.

Gai's eyes bugged out, and Lee's thick eyebrows shot up so high they were in danger of disappearing under his glossy fringe.

"The sweet caress of twilight!" he exclaimed, obviously proud that he'd been proved right.

Gai didn't bother pointing out it was actually the _opposite _of twilight, and let Lee continue, still not believing it was _romance. _Brothers and sisters acted this way, didn't they? Though he'd never seen Neji cuddling up with Hinata, or even touching the girl for that matter, if it didn't involve trying to rupture her internal organs, and that had been years ago.

"There's magic everywhere!" Lee continued enthusiastically, now gesticulating wildly. "And with all this romantic atmosphere… disaster's in the air!!!"

"Lee, my precious student," Gai scolded. "I really cannot imagine what you are babbling about! Haven't I told you it's a sin to lie and make up things!"

"But I'm not," Lee spluttered. "Just look at them Gai-sensei! Can't you feel the _love _and the _passion _and the _flames of youth _emanating from their youthful bodies?!"

"No, Lee, I cannot," Gai said sternly.

"Can't you feel the love tonight?" Lee persisted, disheartened that his idol didn't believe him, didn't believe what to Lee's round eyes was quite blatant.

Neji's hand had found its way into Tenten's hair, and he quickly pulled off the two hair ties, allowing her brown locks to tumble down her back and spill over her shoulders in a lustrous brown cascade.

_**Can you feel the love tonight**_

Lee watched in awe – he'd never seen Tenten with her hair down, but the familiarity with which Neji loosened it, and the fact that the fiery kunoichi didn't shove a kunai into his hand for it, obviously implied that _he _had before. Neji was now running his hands through her hair.

_**The peace the evening brings**_

Lee continued to watch, wide-eyed, as his apparently not-so-emotionless teammate, the stoic genius Neji, leaned over, tilting Tenten's head towards him with a hand on her chin, and kissed her.

_**The world for once in perfect harmony**_

Tenten kissed back, allowing him to pull her into his lap. The fact that she didn't unleash a barrage of weapons on him, and instead allowed him to kiss her peacefully, made Lee suspect this wasn't the first time they _had _kissed.

Lee was shocked.

It wasn't unusual to see Neji and Tenten so intensely involved in each other.

But it was unusual to see them so intensely involved in each other in an activity that was not violent, or related to sharp pointy things flying through the air, or palms rotating around, jabbing chakra everywhere.

And yet somehow, they were at perfect harmony, like they were during their spars. Perfectly balanced, perfectly in sync, one complementing the other.

_**So many things to tell her, but how to make her see… the truth about my past?**_

As Neji continued to kiss Tenten, drowning himself in the blissful feeling of it, a few annoying thoughts nagged at his mind.

Their secret relationship had gone on for nearly a year – and he still hadn't told her he loved her. He knew he did, but he also knew, that with Tenten, the relationship would probably become permanent. And though Neji was sure that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, even _marry_ her – he wasn't sure if he wanted to bring her into his restricted, patriarchal and insular clan. Imagining the free-spirited Tenten incarcerated by the views and customs of the Hyuugas…

_**Impossible,**_

Neji thought. She'd never accept it.

_**She'd turn away from me…**_

Tenten, however, was more perceptive than he gave her credit for. She pulled back from Neji, staring into his white eyes. Though they seemed expressionless and blank to most, Tenten could see that he appeared slightly troubled. He'd suddenly stopped kissing her too.

_It's probably the clan again, _she surmised. It was usually the clan, when Neji became like this. She could tell, at times, that he was on the verge of telling her something, but then he'd suddenly go rigid and become all closed. She never understood what, she never understood what he was keeping to himself, why he would suddenly become withdrawn for some time, before she could coax him back to normal.

_**He's holding back, he's hiding… but what, I can't decide…**_

It had something to do with his clan, she was sure of that much.

_Why won't he just let the clan be, and be himself, _Tenten wondered. Neji always restricted himself because of his clan, the obligations he was put under. And somehow, Tenten, who had met Hiashi-sama quite a few times before, thought that if he'd only _talked _it out with his uncle, things would be different, that he'd find the clan wasn't as unyielding as he thought it was. And then he'd be able to let go of the burden that had recently lodged itself on him, and start loosening up again.

_**Why won't he be the king I know he is, the king I see inside?**_

Neji, however, put the clan issues at the back of his head again, and proceeded to kiss his girlfriend again, missing the feeling of her lips on his. Tenten acquiesced, mentally noting to confront Neji about the issue some time later that week.

For the time being, she happily succumbed to Neji, who was now attacking her neck with his lips.

_**Can you feel the love tonight?**_

Kakashi chuckled. He could see Gai's flabbergasted expression from his little spot in the trees and it was _priceless. _Not to mention, the passion his students were displaying… they could probably give Sasuke and Sakura a run for their money.

_Though,_ Kakashi noted gleefully, turning a page of his book, _I won the bet. Gai: fifty two, Kakashi: fifty three._

Gai and Lee continued to stare at the _youthful _display between their respective students and teammates, tears streaming down both their faces at the sight. Lee's of course, were tears of joy, despite his earlier sadness at being 'left alone'. Gai, though immensely happy about his students' newfound affection, was inwardly grieving over yet another loss to that _damned _Kakashi.

_**The peace the evening brings…**_

Neji and Tenten had broken apart. Lee was impressed – he'd been counting seconds and he didn't know they could hold their breaths for that long!

Tenten was now sitting peacefully in Neji's lap, her back against his chest, his hands threading through her loose locks of hair.

Neji leaned over, a slightly mischievous smile on his lips, and whispered something in her ear.

Tenten stared at him for a few seconds, before she suddenly leapt up, her eyes sparkling, her stance furious.

Neji was smirking widely.

"SOSHORYU!" she shrieked, leaping up and effectively shattering the peace, as she aimed dozens and dozens of weapons at her boyfriend, for his mysterious transgression.

Said smirking boyfriend, Neji, seemed to have been expecting an attack for his words, and immediately spun into action, with a yell of "KAITEN!"

_**The world for once in perfect harmony…**_

It was rather ironic, really.

Tenten's weapons were easily deflected by Neji's chakra sphere, and buried themselves into surrounding trees, or hit the ground with a noisy clatter. Tenten however, charged at him again, now wielding nunchucks, which she swung above her head.

Neji stood, his arms bent in his familiar stance, awaiting her for a few moments, before dashing at her madly, his hands moving rapidly.

_**With all it's living things…**_

All that could be seen for a few moments, was the blur of chains and wooden sticks, and sharp blue bursts of chakra, as Neji and Tenten whirled around, apparently intending to kill each other.

_**Can you feel the love tonight?**_

They continued their onslaught, to Gai, Lee and Kakashi's amazement.

_Is this some twisted Gai-induced way of showing attraction? _Kakashi wondered, watching, out of his Sharingan (which was strong enough to catch their blurred movements) as Tenten aimed her nunchuck at Neji's head, and Neji thrust a chakra-powered palm into his girlfriend's stomach.

_**You needn't look too far…**_

Gai and Lee ducked down, dodging the stray shuriken and kunai which were deflected at them, silent as they witnessed the amazingly strange spectacle that unfolded before their eyes.

"This – is truly one of the most youthful displays of passion I have ever seen!" Gai proclaimed thickly, forgetting his loss against his rival.

_**Stealing through the night's uncertainties, love is where they are…**_

They soon stopped sparring, reaching some sort of silent truce, and collapsed on the ground, panting. Neither Neji nor Tenten were badly injured – just a few scratches on Neji, where Tenten's weapon had barely grazed him (she made sure it went no deeper) and a few bruises on Tenten's arms where Neji had close of a few chakra points (not important ones, of course).

However, to the onlooker's surprise, a few moments later, Neji pushed himself up, still panting and held out his arms, a smile tugging at his lips. Tenten narrowed her brown eyes for a moment, before tumbling into his awaiting arms, knocking them both over onto the grass, where they lay together, limbs entangled.

Lee wiped a tear, moved greatly by this youthful display.

He turned to Gai-sensei.

"If he falls in love tonight," Lee began, "It can be assumed…"

"His carefree days with _us _are history," Gai sniffed.

Tenten in the meanwhile, was scowling at Neji again, holding a kunai to his neck, before he brushed her hand away and kissed her.

Gai and Lee stared at each other, before announcing out loud:

"In short our pal is… DOOMED!"

Then, they burst into tears, hugging each other tightly, as large waves crashed behind them, and they ran into the sunset, shouting out each other's names with increasing gusto.

Kakashi turned his attention from Neji and Tenten (who were making out again) to the green beasts, before diverting his eyes in disgust.

And that _man _called him his _rival…_

…

…

_A/N – I feel so happy! I loved writing that! Somehow, its fun portraying NejiTen relationships as dysfunctional!_

_And come on, you can totally imagine Lee and Gai singing like Timone and Pumba! It was so fitting!_

_And you know, when I was listening to the song, I was like OMG, because Simba's voice sounds's similar to Neji's (especially when he says 'Impossible' like Neji does) and Nala's voice is EXACTLY like Tenten's in the English anime! _

_Oh and if you're wondering what Neji told Tenten to piss her off so much… hee hee, that's for you to wonder! Though I assure you, it was a very naught Un-Neji-like thing to say which left poor Tenten verrry flustered!_

…

…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

…

…

**11 – Blame It – Jamie Foxx**

_(This brings two words to my mind – drunken fist!)_

…

…

"Don't. Tell. Me." Neji said through gritted teeth, activating his Byakugan, as a loud crash and familiar sounding yell filled the pub.

Tenten sighed. "You know I _told_ Tsunade-sama _not _to give us a mission that involved entering a pub…"

"LEAF SPINNING WINNND!" Lee screamed, jumping atop a random table and kicking the food around so it splattered everywhere. The occupants, needless to say, were _not _happy.

_**Blame it on the booze, gotcha feelin' loose**_

Lee, when drunk, was a miniature natural disaster, a weapon of mass destruction. He rampaged around the restaurant, in an inebriated fury, hollering inane nonsense about youth at the top of his lungs, and performing rather _dangerous _taijutsu moves on unsuspecting, innocent pieces of furniture, people, and on this instance, even food.

Neji and Tenten refused to help Gai-sensei this time, instead choosing to tune out the devastation (it wasn't too hard, since they faced something similar every morning at practice) and returned to their own drinks, keeping an eye out for the shinobi they were tracking.

…

…

Team Gai, though extremely talented, had little knowledge of medical ninjutsu. Which mean they generally couldn't identify poisons, or any kind of suspicious substance.

Including spiked drinks.

_**Blame it on petron, gotcha in the zone**_

"Nejiii," Tenten slurred a few minutes later, shoving her face in her teammate's face. "Neji-kunnnn…"

"Byakagun," Neji muttered, unsuccessfully trying to activate his dojutsu, which for some reason had switched off. "Byakagun Byakagun Byakagun!" he persisted, scrunching his eyes shut, completely unaware of the fact he was pronouncing it wrong, and wasn't doing the proper seal either.

"Damnit!" he burst out suddenly, and Tenten jumped back. "Why the hell isn't it working?!"

"I don't know," Tenten retorted, affronted, and slightly piqued that he'd been ignoring her. "Why were you ignoring me, Neji-kun?"

Neji ignored this, rather flustered by the fact that his dojutsu wasn't turning on.

"Why isn't it turning _on! _Why?" Neji demanded, pulling at his hair.

"Neji-kun, will you listen to me?" Tenten persisted, now poking the prodigy.

Neji finally managed to (accidentally) turn his Byakugan on, and he stared at Tenten, who was quite close to him.

"Ten Tentens," he muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. "That can't be right? I can see ten Tentens…"

He then laughed at the irony. Tenten narrowed her eyes, now quite getting it.

"Neji-kun, I demand you stop ignoring me and listen to me NOW!" she screeched, shouting the last word into his ear. "Or I will cut your hair off with my kunai!"

Neji winced, raising his hand to defend his precious hair. He could still see multiple Tentens, and it was disconcerting. He wasn't aware that alcohol had pretty intense affects on dojutsu.

"Don't," he whimpered uncharacteristically, in reference to his precious hair, as Lee suddenly shot past them, two of his gates opened, wrecking more havoc. There was a loud crash in the background.

_**Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol**_

"I won't if you listen to me," Tenten hissed, grabbing on lock of his hair.

"No!" Neji said frantically. "Tenten don't! I'm just really worried! My Byakugan isn't turning on!"

"It already _is_ on you moron!" Tenten shouted.

Neji's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

Tenten bonked him on the head.

"Yes!"

"That's excellent!" Neji said gleefully, smiling widely in a way that Hyuuga's never smiled. Tenten's heart fluttered, and she remember the extremely important thing she had been trying to tell him.

"Neji, I love you," she said loudly. The boy's white eyes widened.

"Wh-what?" he stammered.

"I looooove YOU, Neji-kunnnn," Tenten slurred, wrapping her arms around his neck. Neji stiffened.

_**Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol**_

"YOSH! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN WITHIN ME!" Lee screamed, attempting his initial lotus on an ornamental statue that stood in the restaurant's waiting area. The guests stared at him in alarm, and fear, as he wrapped the poor statue in bandages, and crashed with it, spinning to the ground. Stone pieces shattered everywhere.

"AH!" Lee cried, picking up a piece of stone. "THE SAND BARRIER, AGAIN! DON'T THINK YOU CAN USE THE SAME TRICK EVERY TIME, MY RIVAL FROM THE SAND!" He then proceeded to take off his weights, flinging them into the glass windows, which immediately broke.

"THIS TIME I WILL SURELY DEFEAT YOU!" Lee hollered, "THIRD GATE, OPENNNN!"

_**Blame it on the vodka**_

"Neji-kunnn," Tenten whined, "Why aren't you re-act-ing?"

"I – feel – dizzy…" Neji muttered, covering his eyes. Indeed, his liquor-induced vision was taking a very bad toll thanks to his Byakugan.

"Tenten, how do I turn this thing off?" he asked, not quite minding as the kunoichi merrily plopped herself down into his lap.

_Damnit, _he noticed, blushing furiously a few seconds too late, when he realized their position.

"Turn what off, Neji?" Tenten asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. Neji found the action endearingly cute.

"My Byuka – Byaka – Byakugan…" Neji finally managed to say, shaking his head.

"Hm…" Tenten murmured, peering into his eyes as she leaned forwards to assess the situation. She seemed to have forgotten about her unanswered love confession.

Neji, however, hadn't, and his heart pounded. In a fit of impulsiveness, he reached up with his hands, yanking her hair ties off, rather roughly.

"OW!" Tenten yelped, fixating the boy with a glare, as her hair cascaded down her back. "NEJI YOU PRIG!"

Neji didn't answer, rubbing his eyes, and staring at her dazedly.

She looked beautiful. And the fact that there were ten of her, just made it that much better.

He voiced his sentiments aloud, something he would have never done if he were sober.

"You - look - beautiful, Tentennn," Neji said, slurring, or at least slurring as much as a Hyuuga could slur.

Tenten reddened instantaneously.

"Wh-what?! Neji!!!" she squealed, burying her face in her hands.

_**Blame it on the henny**_

"LEE!" Gai shouted, racing after his pupil, who was now literally bouncing off the walls, cackling loudly. "NEJI! TENTEN! WHERE ARE YOU TWO! I NEED HELP!"

"I saaaid – you look beautiful," Neji repeated, staring intensely at Tenten. In his drunken daze, he lifted a hand, about to place it on her cheek. Somehow, it landed up on her upper thigh instead.

Tenten, despite her drunkenness, stiffened. Neji leaned closer, trailing the hand that was on her thigh upwards.

WHACK!

"Tenten!" Neji cried, wounded, clutching his head.

"HYUUGA NEJI!" the girl screeched at him, pointing accusatorily. "YOU VIOLATED ME!"

"But you started it!" the Jounin whined childishly. "You sat on my lap _before _I felt up your thigh, so _there_! And I didn't even mean to!"

"Yeah right, you pervert!"

"Me! A pervert!" Neji looked affronted, his normally baritone, husky voice reaching a squeaky high pitch that would have made Hiashi cringe. "I most certainly am not!"

"Let's have a spar to prove it!" Tenten challenged.

"Fine!" Neji said, eyes flashing.

Forgetting the fact that they were in a restaurant, _not _a training field, Tenten jumped up into the air, grabbing her scrolls.

_**Blame it on the Blue Tap**_

"Twin Rising Dragons!" she shouted, spinning around, unleashing a barrage of weapons.

Neji's eyes widened – because of the multiple vision, it seems like ten times as many weapons were headed towards him. It was a rather fearful sight. And somehow, even though she was drunk, Tenten's aim was still perfect!

"Rotation!" he shouted, and began spinning rapidly.

The weapons bounced off his shield, impaling themselves into the walls, the ceiling, and pieces of furniture, as the guests screamed and ran for their lives.

For Neji and Tenten, since their jutsus were daily activities, ingrained into their muscles, their bodies performed them almost involuntarily, flawlessly despite their inebriated state.

"NEJI! TENTEN!" Gai bellowed at his spinning students, as he chased after Lee. "STOP YOUR JUTSUS AT ONCE!"

They paid him no heed.

Tenten continued twirling around mid-air. After she exhausted her weapons, she picked up forks, knives, anything that was lying around in the vicinity, and chucked it at her sparring partner.

Neji continued spinning as well, his Kaiten deflecting all her missives.

The restaurant guests looked on in awe and fear, and the manager buried his face into his hands.

Konoha was going to _hear _it from him – these were _their_ shinobi!

Meanwhile, the shinobi who Team Gai was supposed to track, disappeared, leaving the restaurant. No one noticed though, amidst the chaos.

Neji and Tenten finally stopped spinning, and Tenten landed on a table, less gracefully than she usually did after finishing her attack.

_**Gotcha feelin' dizzy**_

Neji and Tenten both collapsed to the floor, clutching their heads.

"Everything is spinning," Tenten commented.

"My Byaka – eye – thing is acting weird," Neji observed.

They both attempted to stand up, still holding their heads, before Lee came whizzing past, and actually hit Neji with his foot while he attempted to do his 'Konoha Whirlwind' attack mid-air.

Neji stumbled forward, bumping into Tenten, and the duo crashed down onto the floor, yet again.

They let out simultaneous gasps, which were cut off, when their lips slammed together from the force of the impact.

Normally, they would have leapt apart, blushing, and probably apologized to one another profusely.

But this time they were drunk.

And Neji really liked Tenten with her hair loose.

And Tenten had always found Neji particularly handsome.

So they kissed.

Wildly.

And when Gai-sensei darted past, demanding them to terminate the youthful display and assist him with Lee, they only increased the intensity of the kiss, their hands wandering in places they _really _should not have, Neji using his Byakugan for rather lewd reasons.

_**Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol**_

…

…

"Explain yourselves!" Tsunade demanded furiously, the next day.

Gai was slumped on a chair, panting.

It hadn't been an easy task, dragging an extremely drunk Neji, Tenten, and Lee, the latter of who was overly hyperactive back to Konoha.

They'd been singing for nearly half the journey, and Gai was thankful that no enemy nin had been alerted of their presence.

It was the first time they'd failed a mission, and Gai was extremely disappointed.

_Kakashi's never going to let me live this down, _he thought morosely. Team Seven had never failed a mission by getting insanely drunk. Ever.

"I repeat!" Tsunade snapped, looking and Neji, Tenten and Lee. "Explain yourselves! You have failed your mission, allowed an extremely important shinobi to escape, destroyed thousands of Yen worth of property, and caused Konoha problems with a rather influential businessman in Mist! You had the best track-record till now, always completing your missions flawlessly! How did this happen?!"

Gai whimpered pitifully.

Tenten moaned something about a massive headache, tugging at her unbound hair.

Lee bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, obviously not registering a word of what Tsunade was saying.

Neji blinked a few times, before finally speaking, his voice slurred.

"Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a…"

Tsunade raised her eyebrows. Neji wasn't one to stammer. Hinata maybe, but never Neji.

"Alcohol!" Neji finished, before suddenly tipping forward and fainting.

…

…

_A/N – very VERY VERY out of character, I KNOW. But I couldn't resist. And that was so much fun! Why make Lee the only one who goes crazy on sake – I bet Neji and Tenten would too. And yes, for the sake of this fic, they have an extremely low capacity… the last line was supposed to be said by Lee, but then I decided to make it Neji. Just for kicks._

…

…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

…

…

**12 – Low – Flo Rida**

_(ack! why do I get all these clubbing songs! it makes keeping people in character so hard!)_

…

…

"Oh. My. God," Kiba gaped, eyes wide, drooling slightly at the sight before him.

"Duuude," he hissed, punching Naruto on the shoulder.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, turning to the brown-haired boy next to him, who was pointing at something, eyes wide. Naruto's gaze followed the direction of Kiba's finger.

"WHAT?!" Naruto screeched, blue eyes popping out. "THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!" He stared in shock for a few minutes longer, before his expression soon faded away to one of open lust.

"Wow…" Naruto whispered. "Be-lieeeeve it…."

"Neji's going to be pissed," Sasuke commented, though Naruto didn't quite get which kunoichi he was referring to, that Neji would get pissed off about. Probably both.

He didn't quite care about Neji's sentiments at the moment though, and continued to stare at the sight in front of him, feeling like he was in heaven.

It's how Jiraiya must have felt when he was in the Lady's Hot Spring…

_**Shawty had them apple bottom jeans, boots with the furrr**_

Hinata, pure, sweet, innocent Hinata, was standing on top of the bartop, of Konoha's most famous nightclub, dancing like some kind of stripper from an Icha Icha movie.

She'd cast off her thick lavender and white jacket, and was wearing a rather _tight, _fitting, black, _fishnet _t-shirt underneath, which accentuated the voluptuous curves, which Kiba and Naruto never knew she even had.

And she was dancing, with her arms around Tenten, who was in a _skirt, _with her hair _loose_!

_**The whole club was looking at her…**_

No one could miss out on the attention the dancing duo was missing. Most of the people's eyes were glued on them.

…

…

"What. The. Hell."

A very pissed off Neji had joined the spectacle, and he was glaring murderously at his dancing cousin, veins nearly popping out of the side of his face.

"Amazing, isn't it," Kiba said reverently, and Naruto nodded.

Neji cast them a disdainful look, and was about to walk up and drag his little _Hyuuga _cousin (how can they make _her _the leader and not _me?!_) off the bartop, when he noticed something else.

Or rather someone else.

This someone being the person Hinata was currently dancing with, her arms around said person's neck.

Neji covered his eyes, his heart pounding.

Why, oh why, was his cousin Hinata, dancing so inappropriately with _Tenten _of all people?! His teammate, best friend and – no, she was _not _his crush!

And what the _hell _was Tenten wearing?

Why the _hell _was she dressed like that in front of all these dirty-minded, lecherous men?

And why the _hell _couldn't she dress like that when they were bloody sparring alone in the woods?

"This is wrong," Neji groaned, turning away and storming off, as Tenten and Hinata continued to dance, quite oblivious to the rest.

…

…

There were a few appreciative wolf-whistles, as two more rather scantily clad kunoichi joined the previously innocent ones who were now grinding together on the bartop.

The quartet danced together, and Naruto nearly passed out from a nosebleed.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, as did Shikamaru's, as they observed the rather _familiar _pink and blonde heads.

_**She hit the floor… next thing you know… shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low…**_

Ino and Sakura, along with Tenten and Hinata, had now attached themselves to the poles, and were inching downwards promiscuously.

Sasuke and Shikamaru couldn't help but stare.

…

…

Neji joined them, a few minutes later, his arms crossed, as his white eyes surveyed his brown-haired teammates every moment.

"D'you realize, it's much more _interesting _watching them when you have your dojutsu switched on?" Sasuke asked conversationally, his Sharingan whirring as he memorized Sakura's dance, so he could play it in his head later that night in the shower.

Neji activated his Byakugan, watching Tenten for a moment.

"Hn, you're right," he agreed, before realizing in horror who he was talking to, and what about.

Sasuke realized as well, and both boys looked away from each other, blushing.

"That conversation never happened," Sasuke said quickly.

"What conversation?" Neji asked, eager to play along.

"…"

"…"

They were silent for a few moments, as they continued watching their girlfri – _teammates, _kekkai genkai still activated. Shikamaru watched Ino as well, cursing the fact that his kekkai genkai was pretty much useless in this kind of situation.

What could he do with freaking shadows?

A mental image of Ino bound to a bed with his shadow bind technique came to mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

'_Temari!' _a voice shouted in his head. _'You're dating Temari!"_

…

…

The crowd was getting wild.

A few moments later, Shikamaru, Neji and Sasuke looked at each other, and reached some sort of unspoken agreement which only geniuses like them could understand without using any actual words.

They marched up to the bartops, ignoring the booing issued from the rowdy, drunk men.

Sasuke grabbed Sakura roughly by the arm, disentangling her from Ino, who Shikamaru immediately took custody of. Neji yanked Tenten aroud the waist, pulling her away from Hinata, before he, not too gently, shoved his cousin in the direction of two eagerly waiting shinobi, namely Naruto and Kiba.

Neji wouldn't have left her with the two idiots normally, but they were probably safer than the rest of these drunk strangers, and he really had more pressing issues on his mind, namely the skirt-clad, hair-loosened girl in his arm.

…

…

"Sasuke – huh?" Sakura gasped, before the dark-haired boy dipped her over and kissed her hard, in front of every single person in the club.

'_She's mine, bitches. Stay away.'_

Sasuke didn't need to say anything, for his message was frightfully clear.

…

…

"Shikamaru!" Ino shrieked, as the boy dragged her along with his shadow. "Where are we going?!"

Shikamaru smirked slightly.

"You'll see…"

…

…

"Hey, Neji, this place looks familiarrr," Tenten slurred, as the duo walked through the forest. "What are we doing here, again?"

Neji turned to her, his white eyes smouldering.

"Training," he said evenly.

…

…

It's a good thing Hiashi-sama didn't send an escort with Hinata that night (foolishly trusting his nephew Neji with the job).

Because the escort would have seen Hinata Hyuuga, thick jacket off, dancing wildly on top of a bartop.

She wasn't alone, of course.

She was accompanied by not _one, _but _two _of Konoha's most popular shinobi.

Kiba and Naruto danced beside her, in ways that would have made Hiashi-sama want to eight-trigram-sixty-four-palm their guts out.

It was a good thing Hinata suffered a massive hangover and lost her memory the next morning.

She wouldn't have been able to look at her teammate, or her longtime crush in the eye ever again had she not.

Kiba had a hangover too, which was fortunate, since they were teammates and that would have led to awkwardness.

Naruto, unfortunately, thanks to the Kyuubi and its amazing healing properties didn't.

And when Hinata approached him, their roles seemed to reverse, as he was rendered into a blushing, stuttering mess, while Hinata was completely befuddled (though secretly thrilled) at his reaction.

…

…

_A/N – again very VERY OoC, and quite plotless, but fun to write. Hmph. What am I supposed to do with nightclub songs and Naruto characters?! I love writing ShikaIno and making Shikamaru all lecherous. I have no idea why. Probably because it's his current role in my long fic, 'Confrontation' right now =P_

_And ooh, I love Sasuke and Neji misusing their eyes to do naughty things!_

…

…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

…

…

**13 - Closer – Naruto Shippuden**

_(I wanted something that I could easily relate Naruto characters to, but this is just ridiculous! Though I LOVE this song…I'm sorry if I get the Japanese lyrics wrong, I just copied them from a site since I don't know them. Nor do I understand their meaning, so I'm just making this fic based on the Team 10 arc in Shippuden since that's when this plays)_

…

…

_**Mijika ni aru mono**_

_Asuma… _Shikamaru mused, staring up at the clouds. _Why did you have to leave? It's so troublesome here without you._

The cigarette lighter burnt next to him, a stream of smoke rising and spiraling upwards. Shikamaru's eyes followed its movement.

_**Tsune ni ki wo tsuketeinai to**_

"Shikamaru," a soft, feminine voice said.

Shikamaru looked up.

"Ino," he greeted.

The blonde girl sat down beside him, her long ponytail trailing in the grass. Her usually bright baby-blue eyes were dull.

Her gaze fell on the cigarette lighter.

_**Amari ni chikasugite**_

Shikamaru watched her for a moment.

Her blue eyes seemed to be brimming with tears, but she remained silent.

Shikamaru turned his head back up, and resumed his cloud-staring.

A few moments later, a soft sob escaped from her lips.

Shikamaru felt his eyes sting as well, and shook his head, blinking.

_**Miushinatte shimaisou**_

Shikamaru tilted his head to the right.

Ino was crying softly now, her head buried in her arms.

He scooted towards her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

He pulled her closer.

_**You know the closer you get to something**_

He needed the comfort.

They both did.

Shikamaru took out a cigarette, lit it with his lighter, and rested his head on Ino's, patting her back awkwardly.

His eyes blurred with tears, making his vision hazy.

_**The tougher it is to see it**_

He felt, rather than saw, Ino circle her arms around him, burying her head in his chest.

She sobbed louder, the tears wetting his green vest.

The vest was still stained with _his _blood.

Shikamaru hugged her back, taking the cigarette out of his mouth for a moment, to plant a kiss on her forehead.

_**And I'll never take it for granted**_

They cried together, taking comfort in each other's arms.

They cried for a man, a shinobi, a friend, a _teacher, _a husband, a father… who was now lost to them, lost to Konoha, lost to the world.

And amidst the tears, they discovered something, something that alleviated the pain of their loss ever so slightly.

Ino and Shikamaru discovered something, as they sat together, besides Asuma's smoking cigarette lighter, tangled in each other's arms.

An hour later, Shikamaru stood up, holding a hand out to the watery-eyed kunoichi.

Ino smiled at him, a tiny smile, but the first genuine smile he'd seen on her face in days, as she took the proffered hand, slipping her slim fingers between his.

_**Let's go.**_

…

…

_A/N – short, but I liked it. The InoShika wasn't very strong, but I liked it. It was nice writing them as sweet rather than horny/cheating on Temari types. If any of you are wondering, that took place after Asuma's death (please tell me you've read the manga/watched to anime enough to know that!)_

…

…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

…

…

**14 – Captain Jack Sparrow – Hans Zimmer**

_(what the?! Pirates of the Caribbean?! that reminds me of Sasuke's gay oto costume, but I won't write about that… sigh, this is difficult… I guess this can be a kind of sequel to the Lord of the Rings one in the previous chapter)_

…

…

"No," Neji said flatly. "Definitely not."

"Pleeease, Neji…" Tenten begged, brown eyes wide. "I've heard it's full of action and cool fighting techniques and stuff!"

"No," Neji repeated firmly. He was certainly not going to get dragged by Tenten to yet another stupid foreign film.

The last one they'd seen (which was actually a _trilogy, _to Neji's horror) had Tenten raving about some blonde, pointy-eared pansy (in Neji's opinion) who Tenten found extremely sexy.

Neji was perfectly within his rights to object to this.

She was _his _girlfriend after all.

The only man she raved about, gushed over and stared at adoringly was _him._

"Aw, Neji, please, I've been dying to go for ages," Tenten wheedled, slipping her fingers through his.

_Cheater, _Neji thought, as he felt his resolve dwindling, as she played with his fingers, her eyes staring into his pleadingly.

"…Fine," Neji finally relented.

"Oh, Neji!" Tenten squealed, leaning up to peck him on his cheek. "Thank you! I have tickets for tonight!"

Neji watched her dash off, a fond smile on his face at her obvious joy, until his eyes suddenly narrowed, the smile vanishing.

She'd bought the tickets before even asking him?! Presumptuous, conniving little –

…

…

"He has _a moustache. _And a _beard,_" the clean shaven Neji said, pointing out the obvious, after the movie was done.

"So?" Tenten asked, looking rather awestruck.

"His personal hygiene is _abominable,_" Neji continued, not understanding Tenten's newest infatuation.

"Hmm…" Tenten murmured absently, humming a rollicking tune.

"His _hair _is frizzy, and tangled up, and he has _dreadlocks!" _Neji flipped his own, perfectly straight, perfectly smooth, perfectly shiny hair at that moment, as if to prove his point.

"So what?" Tenten asked, still dazed, obviously not getting the point.

"What do you see in him?!" Neji finally demanded, his cheeks pink. "What does he have that I don't have – that too, better?!"

Tenten sighed.

"Neji, I agree you have better hair, better hygiene, better features, better eyes, better _everything _than him," Tenten began sweetly, and Neji straightened up, smirking.

She leaned closer to him, her eyes sparkling.

"But Neji – he's _Captain Jack Sparrow!_"

…

…

"Hey, Neji," Tenten called brightly, the next morning during their practice. "Let's do some weapon sparring, shall we?"

Neji grunted in agreement, though he had a rather bad feeling as to where this may lead…

"So what do you want to use?" Tenten asked, now visibly excited.

"A katana," Neji answered cautiously. Tenten, for some reason seemed thrilled, as she bit her finger and ran it across a scroll, summoning a gleaming katana, which she tossed to Neji.

"What about you?" Neji asked warily, as Tenten extracted a second scroll, now nearly quivering in excitement. She dragged her bleeding finger across the parchment, and with a puff of smoke her weapon appeared.

Neji smacked his head in frustration.

A very enthusiastic-looking Tenten was wielding a rather rusty looking _cutlass_ in her hand.

…

…

_A/N – pointless again, I know. Somehow, Tenten seems the kind who'd get fascinated with these types – and their weapons ;) and Neji of course, would not be happy. 14 down, one more to go! _

…

…

**15 – So Fine – Sean Paul**

_(Another clubbing song! Noooo! Though I just thought of a couple these lyrics would be PERFECT for…)_

…

…

The sun beat harshly down upon the sandy ground.

_**I'll be your sunshine, you can be mine**_

Sunshine, however, was exactly what he required for his jutsu.

Long shadows stretched across the sand, weaving, twisting.

The girl jumped up, and they just missed her long, fishnet-clad legs.

_**You be my wind-chime, I got the rhyme**_

She sat atop her large fan, maneuvering it away with a gust of wind.

Shikamaru smirked, concentrating harder, as his shadows leapt up, chasing the girl as she sped along the wind currents, her shining teal eyes narrow, the wind whipping her short golden-brown hair behind her as she flew.

_**We'll have a good time, make up your mind**_

He chased her, managing to lure her into the forest, where he finally trapped her, his shadow merging and fusing with the large shadow of the trees, and then circling around her waist.

"Damnit," Temari cursed, gritting her teeth, as her fan was forcefully lowered to the ground.

Shikamaru smirked, and his shadows tightened their grip around her ankles as he sauntered towards her.

_**Roll with me girl, you're so fine…**_

"I'll beat you next time, punk," Temari snarled, but she was cut off, when he grabbed her face, in a very uncharacteristically forward gesture for him, and pressed his lips to hers.

…

…

…

_A/N – short, I know, but there wasn't much to write. I finally did a ShikaTema! And without mentioning Ino! Somehow, that song fits them, you know, with her being a wind jutsu user, and him needing sunshine for his shadows… oh, and whats with me and Shikamaru using his shadows rather – inappropriately =P I don't know._

_Anyways, that's all for the ipod shuffle challenge! I don't know about you, but enjoyed myself immensely! Please drop by a review! Thanks for reading!_

_xx_

_HighQueen_


	5. Naruto's New and Improved Sexy Jutsu!

_A/N_

_Just an idiotic little plot that popped into my head, and was dying to be made into a story. I'm expanding on this entire oneshot collection to include more pairings, not just NejiTen, though that will be the main one, most of the time..._

_I know I should be updating Confrontation right now, but those chapters need to be planned out and will take much longer than this (which took under an hour) and I don't have time right now, most unfortunately. It will be updated in three or four weeks though, I promise! It's just my exams are starting soon..._

_I hope you enjoy reading this, and please review! =)_

_And thank you so much to those of you who have so far, I appreciated every single one!_

_..._

_..._

_..._

"SASUKE-TEME!" Naruto hollered, banging his fist on his friend's door. "OPEN UP YOU ASOCIAL RETARD! OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"

There was no answer, and Naruto decided to rush against the wooden door and break through (like he had the last three times) when it suddenly opened, making him lose balance and trip, falling flat on his face.

"You bastard!" Naruto cursed, shaking a fist at the narrow ebony eyes that gazed at him with an expression of utmost contempt from above. However, after witnessing his blonde friend sprawled at his feet, Sasuke smirked.

Naruto scrambled up, suddenly looking extremely excited, as he bounced into Sasuke's apartment. Sasuke closed the door with a sigh, following the hyperactive ball of energy, who had made himself comfortable on _his _sofa, where _he _had been sitting just moments ago, peacefully reading a scroll on chakra transfers.

Of course, with Naruto's presence, Sasuke knew he wouldn't be getting peace anytime soon.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked finally, rather testily. He _had _been expecting another visitor, and the moment he heard the incessant pounding and realized it was Naruto, he was contemplating ways to get the boy _out _of his apartment as soon as possible.

"I've got an awesome new jutsu to show you!" Naruto said, grinning widely. "It's brilliant!"

"What?" Sasuke asked, interest perking slightly, though he wouldn't show it.

"Well... it's not entirely complete yet – I still have to make a few modifications... I tried it out on Kakashi-sensei, but it seemed to upset him, and he just poofed away. So I thought I'd show you, and ask for your help..."

"This better not be what I think it is, dobe," Sasuke began, crossing his arms, but it was too late. Naruto made the familiar signs, and gave a cry of "Sexy jutsu!"

Seconds later, with a poof of smoke, a very naked, very curvy female stood in Sasuke's living room. Sasuke immediately turned away, looking rather disgusted. Naruto's new form was pretty similar to his old one, except there were no whiskers this time, and his blue eyes were slightly more on the turquoise side. His blonde pigtails had been replaced by a shoulder-length cut.

"Damnit!" Naruto cursed, tugging at a lock of blonde hair. "Still blonde!"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, before he spoke.

"How is this depraved jutsu even _slightly _better than it was before, Naruto? Though it was quite pathetic to start off with," Sasuke remarked cuttingly.

"That's the problem!" Naruto howled, still transformed into an unusual, yet undeniably attractive female. "I'm trying to modify it so that it takes shape based on the preferences of the person I'm using it against! But I can't get it to change my eye or hair color! All it does is change my hairstyle! And it gave me these purple stripes on my face when I used it on Kakashi-sensei, which was weird... but other than that _nothing!_" Naruto bemoaned. Sasuke didn't look the slightest bit impressed.

"Your idiotic jutsu obviously needs a lot of work – and _no, _don't even think of asking me for help. There is no way I would encourage your asinine behaviour, Naruto. Go ask Kiba, or some other shinobi," Sasuke snapped, before Naruto could protest.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Now get the hell out of here," Sasuke told Naruto, "Or at least transform back to your usual self!"

"What if I don't want to?" Naruto asked, pouting childishly. "Please, Sasuke-kun..." he bit his lip, widening his eyes. "Please help me..."

"That's _not _going to work on me, especially when you're still blonde, deadlast," said Sasuke, walking towards his door.

He smirked to himself – Naruto deserved what was coming to him if she saw him in his transformed state.

Indeed, the door opened, to reveal a rather shocked looking Sakura, her green eyes wide. They soon narrowed.

Naruto shivered, crossing his arms to cover his chest.

"Naruto," Sakura growled, crackling her knuckles menacingly. "What the _hell? _Are you trying to – seduce Sasuke or something?"

"Of course not!" Naruto screeched, shaking his head and waving his hands wildly. "I was just – I – I need some help with this jutsu! Don't hurt me, Sakura-chan, I'm sorry!"

Sakura advanced on him, but Naruto had already transformed back and leapt past her out of the house, yelling something about how he'd "kick that bastard's ass one day, believe it!"

Sakura sighed, looking at Sasuke who had been watching the scene with an iota of amusement.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"He's trying to modify his ridiculous jutsu to suit the user's tastes. As you can see, he's only progressed to changing the hairstyle really..."

Sakura considered this thoughtfully.

"You know as much as I despise the jutsu, it's pretty smart of him to modify it like that. Though I hate to say it, it could be pretty effective against – male enemy ninja..."

Sasuke rolled his dark eyes, sitting on the couch, and Sakura curled beside him. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

"It's _not _smart of him, Sakura. If he was smart, he would have just used a transformation jutsu, at least on me. I mean, it's pretty obvious who I _like,_" Sasuke murmured, his voice growing husky at the last part as he lowered his face to Sakura's, his hand creeping towards her waist.

Sakura smiled, blushing, as she entwined her fingers in his soft black hair.

"And who exactly is that, Sasuke-kun?" she asked flirtatiously.

"You already know, Sakura..."

...

...

"Um... Naruto?" Lee asked, as the blonde shinobi surveyed the group in front of them. They had all gathered at Team Seven's old training grounds, where Naruto had called them, claiming it was a matter of utmost urgency. "Why are we all here?"

"I need help with one of my jutsu," Naruto explained. "So you guys are like my – subjects!"

"Yosh! We are helping you with a jutsu so that you can grow more youthfully powerful! That is an excellent endeavour!" Lee shouted enthusiastically.

The other members of the group didn't seem to share his ebullience.

Neji just cocked an eyebrow, the expression on his face indicating that he thought this a waste of his time, and he would much rather be doing something else at the moment.

Kiba looked vaguely annoyed, and Shino was as silent as ever.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. He'd so much rather be lying down, staring at the clouds...

"Well, anyway!" Naruto began, blue eyes roving over the shinobi assembled in front of him. "I'm gonna start now, and use my jutsu against you all in turn! Any volunteers for who wants to go first?"

"Me!" Lee yelled immediately, his green spandex-covered arm shooting into the air.

"Um... other than Lee," Naruto suggested, knowing that if he transformed for Lee it would probably yield the same result as when he'd transformed for Sasuke.

Lee look put out.

"Why not me?" he demanded. "Am I not youthful enough an opponent for you?"

"It's not that!" Naruto said quickly, "Um... how about – Shikamaru?"

"No," the lazy shinobi said immediately. "Fighting you will be _such _a drag..."

"But you don't have to do anything!" Naruto said. "Just stand and stare at me, that's all!"

Shikamaru didn't seem to mind this arrangement, and nodded, agreeing.

"Fine, if that's all it entails..."

"Alright!" Naruto shouted, forming a seal, his blue eyes meeting Shikamaru's dark ones. "Sexy jutsu!"

Moments later, a voluptuous naked woman stood in his place.

Kiba ogled at her shamelessly, and Neji and Lee both diverted their eyes, Neji with a supremely disdainful look on his face.

Naruto's eyes were still blue, though slightly darker than usual. His hair, instead of its usual two blonde pigtails, was held in four, shorter, spiky ponytails.

"Oh _no..._" Shikamaru groaned, realizing what had happened.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes lightened, and his hair changed to one long, high ponytail, his bangs lengthening and nearly obscuring one of his eyes.

"Shit!" Shikamaru cursed, eyes widening.

Naruto's form changed back to what it had been seconds ago, with the four spiky pigtails and darker eyes.

"What the hell is happening?" Naruto wailed, as his form flitted from one to another, completely out of his control. He finally switched back to his normal and thankfully _male _form, clad in his orange and black jumpsuit.

"Shikamaru!" he shouted, pointing at the boy accusingly. "You – you're a-"

"Shut up," Shikamaru said loudly, hoping no one else had realized his indecisiveness. Why was his life so troublesome? Why could he not _stick _to just _one?_

"I think you should try someone, else, Naruto," he said, as Kiba's eyes narrowed, and the brown-haired boy smirked at him knowingly, one of his fang-like canines glinting. "Like Neji," Shikamaru supplied.

"Hell _no,_" Neji said immediately, sounding rather enraged that Shikamaru had the gall to even suggest him, but it was too late. Naruto made the signs, and there was a puff of smoke.

When Naruto reappeared, his blonde hair was bound in two buns at the top of his head, a few bangs covering his forehead. His blue eyes were much darker than they had been before, and he was twirling a kunai between his fingers.

Neji looked rather revolted, white eyes widening in horror, and he turned away, flushing.

Lee's round eyes grew even rounder.

"What?" he yelled, catching on. "Neji has fetishes for buns and weapons! That sounds familiar!"

"I do _not _have fetishes," Neji hissed, still flushing horribly, the pink colour all the more evident on his pale skin. He tried looking affronted, but failed miserably, instead choosing to stride out from the area in graceful dignity.

Or that's what he liked to think – actually, he had stomped out, looking extremely flustered.

He came back in a moment, though, realizing something.

"Lee don't you _dare _tell her or Gai-sensei," he began, but the green-haired boy had already sped off in the opposite direction.

Neji cursed, as elegantly as a Hyuuga can curse, and stormed off again.

"What was that all about?" Naruto asked, looking confused.

"Isn't it obvious, moron?" Kiba snapped. "You just revealed Neji's deepest, darkest secret with your stupid jutsu, and now he's going to Jyuuken your guts out in his wrath, after he gets over his mortification!"

"But – what – what did I – I didn't even transform completely!" Naruto argued obliviously. "My jutsu's only partially complete, why's he getting so mad!"

"Oh come on, Naruto."

It was Shikamaru who spoke now, his tone monotonous.

"It's obvious that you transform so your hair and eye intensity resembles that which your opponent is most romantically or sexually attracted to. And how many kunoichi do we know that tie their hair in two buns, and are constantly seen playing with weapons?"

"Oh," Naruto gasped, realization dawning upon him. "So then Lee was right! Neji does have a bun and weapon fetish!"

"I wouldn't let him hear you say that," Shikamaru advised, but then Naruto turned to him suddenly.

"What about you, huh? You're obviously attracted to _two _girls at the same time, and can't decide which! That's worse! My jutsu kept freaking changing, because _you _couldn't make up your damn mind on which you preferred!" he pointed out.

"Yeah, Ino's so going to _murder_ you when she finds out!" Kiba laughed.

"And Temari," Chouji added, sounding worried.

"Guys, shut up," Shikamaru groaned. "This is all so – troublesome... Naruto, go work on your dumb jutsu by yourself, seriously..."

...

...

Naruto cackled to himself, rubbing his hands together deviously, as he leapt towards Team Gai's training grounds a few days later, despite Shikamaru's warning that he should stay out of Neji's way.

He'd _finally _perfected the jutsu – almost. And he needed a test subject.

Sasuke and Sakura had threatened to chidori him or pummel his head into the ground respectively, if he tried his jutsu on either Sasuke or Lee.

Team Kurenai had left on a mission, Chouji's only love in life was food, and Shikamaru had disappeared somewhere.

So that only left one option for Naruto to test his jutsu on.

Conveniently forgetting about Neji's Jyuuken-ing abilities, and the fact that he was the strongest member of the strongest clan (not counting Sasuke) in the village, and that he _also _was a Jounin, Naruto forged ahead eagerly.

When he finally landed in Team Gai's training ground, the first thing Naruto had to do was duck as hundreds of gleaming weapons whizzed towards him.

"Aagh!" Naruto shouted, as the pelting weapons stopped. "Tenten! What gives?"

"Sorry, Naruto," the brunette, bun-haired kunoichi said sweetly, smiling a bit sheepishly as she dropped one her scrolls to the ground. "But it really wasn't _my _fault..."

Tenten gestured to a large sphere of rotating blue chakra which dissipated in a few moments, (it had deflected some of Tenten's weapons in Naruto's direction) leaving a rather angry looking Neji, his fists clenched and the veins of his Byakugan pulsing.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Neji snarled at Naruto

"Oh, I finally perfected my jutsu!" Naruto told him cheerfully. "And I wanted to test it on you..."

"NO!" Neji cried, suddenly looking panicked. "Definitely not! Go try on someone else!"

"Why not?" Tenten asked curiously, spinning a kunai on her fingers, looking interested. "What kind of a jutsu is this?"

"You don't want to know," Neji answered quickly, but Naruto told her anyway.

"It's a perfected version of my sexy jutsu!" he said proudly, ignoring Neji's mounting anger. "Except it personalizes itself based on the shinobi's sexual preferences!"

"...oh," Tenten muttered, looking rather peeved. "Don't you think that's kind of – childish, Naruto?"

"Extremely childish," Neji agreed vehemently. "Now get the hell out of here, we're trying to train!"

"But Tenten," Naruto pouted, as a conniving idea entered his mind, "Aren't you interested in knowing what happens if I use this on Neji?"

Tenten shrugged.

"Why would I be?" she asked nonchalantly, though Naruto could tell she was trying to hide her obviously piqued interest.

"Yes, there is no reason for Tenten to care," Neji said, dropping into his fighting stance. "Get. Out. Now." he added menacingly.

"Nah, I really need to try this," Naruto said carelessly, making the seal. "Sexy Jutsu!"

POOF!

When the smoke cleared, it revealed a slim, toned naked young woman, clouds swirling around her form, barely hiding what had to be hidden, but revealing pretty much everything else. She had sparkling brown eyes, brown bangs, and her hair was pulled into two identical buns on the top of her head. She was spinning a kunai deftly around one finger.

The girl winked at Neji, blowing him a kiss.

"Neji-kunnnn," the girl, who was actually Naruto purred. Her resemblance to a certain kunoichi was uncanny, though she still had Naruto's face and his impish smile.

Tenten, who had been spinning a kunai on her finger in a motion identical to Naruto's, promptly dropped the kunai, gasping, her chocolate brown eyes wide.

Neji seemed to be choking, and his face was flushed, one pale hand clamped over his nose.

Naruto smirked as he saw a trickle of blood emerge from between his fingers.

Neji was pointedly avoiding Tenten's eyes, and the kunoichi in question looked extremely shocked. However, Naruto noticed a smirk was tugging at her lips, and decided that it was time to make his exit.

Neji would thank him soon...

"Well I gotta go, it seems my jutsu's working just fine, bye guys, have fun with your – _training!_" Naruto called, grinning a bit perversely at the last bit before he fled into the forest.

...

...

The clearing was perfectly silent after Naruto had left.

Neji was looking anywhere but Tenten, and the kunoichi was fighting off the blush which had begun to flood her face.

Inwardly, she was rejoicing.

_I love you, Naruto! _Tenten thought gleefully, her heart leaping at the implications of what had happened.

"Neji," she said suddenly, her voice sharp.

He looked up, meeting her eyes, though it was obvious he was feeling excruciatingly uncomfortable.

"Yes?" Neji inquired politely, despite the circumstances.

Tenten bit back another grin, before she pulled out eight kunai in a flash, and with one fluid movement had hurled them all in Neji's direction.

He would have normally Kaiten-ed them away with ease, but this time he seemed too shocked and disoriented to defend himself (and his hands were occupied in stemming a nosebleed), and Tenten's perfectly aimed weapons had soon pinned him to a tree by his clothes.

"Tenten, what are you doing?" Neji asked, bewildered.

Tenten could tell he still wasn't in the right frame of mind – he could easily have broken free, but didn't even seem to be struggling.

Rather, he was eyeing her cautiously, Byakugan activated, as if waiting for her to make her move.

"Come on, Neji, you _know _Lee can't keep a secret for nuts," she teased, walking towards the boy.

Tenten decided there was something she absolutely _loved _about seeing Neji, trapped and yielding – okay maybe that was stretching it a bit far, but still, he _was _pinned to a tree by _her _kunai.

"I'm going to kill him," Neji spat acridly, not bothering to deny it. There was no point, she'd seen it with her own eyes. "Him and Naruto both!"

"So it seems you do have a fetish for buns and weapons, hm?" Tenten asked, stopping so that she was standing only a few centimetres away from him.

"I wouldn't really call it a fetish," Neji replied, still looking slightly worried, though his white eyes were locked with hers.

"Then what?" Tenten asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"It's more of one of those things which attract you just because they remind you of someone, if you get what I mean," he said, his voice low.

His tone, and his expression made Tenten feel like there were hundreds of butterflies fluttering away in her stomach.

"You must really like that someone, huh, Neji?" she purred, leaning in towards him.

Neji smirked, looking almost triumphant, all the previous concern erased from his face.

"More than you could imagine, Tenten," he answered flirtatiously, his breath fanning her lips.

Tenten couldn't actually believe that he was _flirting _with her – the knowledge made her swoon.

"I never thought you were that kind of guy, you know?" Tenten admitted. She wanted to kiss him, badly, but somehow she wasn't ready to make the first move.

What if she'd mistaken it – what if he didn't care as much as she thought...

"Come on, Tenten," Neji's voice was husky and he leaned his head closer so that long strands of his dark hair brushed against her cheek. He was still pinned to the tree though, and hadn't really tried getting free. "I think we _both _know what would happen if Naruto tried that jutsu on _you_..."

"Presumptuous, aren't we?" Tenten murmured back, entranced in his white eyes, which were gazing at her almost mischievously. Tenten had never seen that kind of look in his eyes before, and it made her knees weak.

"You're more obvious than you like to think," he replied silkily, before closing the gap between them and capturing her lips in his own.

He kissed her, softly at first, his tongue slipping between her parted lips. She kissed back hungrily, feeling light-headed, and didn't even register the ripping sound, or the noise of her kunai clattering to the ground as Neji freed his arms to wrap them around her and pull her close, kissing her harder.

...

...

When Lee and Gai walked in on them, ten minutes later, they were still kissing furiously, sprawled on the grass, one of Neji's hand sliding under the white fabric of her shirt, the other grasping her chin, while Tenten's arms were looped around his neck, her fingers buried in his long hair.

...

...

"Transformation jutsu! Sexy style!" Naruto yelled, and there was a poof of smoke.

"NARUTO YOU IDIOT!" Sakura screeched, "I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO IT!"

Still she couldn't help but feel slightly pleased at the result, though incredibly embarrassed.

Sasuke was on the ground, his hands covering his nose, his red Sharingan eyes spinning wildly as he took in Naruto's transformation.

"Sasuke-kun," Naruto purred, batting his eyelashes, his green eyes twinkling. He bit his lip, twirling a strand of pink hair around his feminine finger. "I beat you this time, Sasuke-kunnn..."

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Sakura screamed, dashing at him with her fists raised, and Naruto decided it was worth it, as he regarded the lust-filled expression in Sasuke's eyes, as the dark-haired boy gazed at him shamelessly.

After all, he had _defeated _Sasuke in a spar, using a valid jutsu, despite whatever Sakura may say.

Sasuke in the meanwhile was misusing his Sharingan rather dishonourably, as he recorded and memorized the image of a naked, posing Sakura, as she blew kisses at him, an alluring expression in her green eyes.

He was almost disappointed when Naruto poofed back to normal, clutching his head in agony, and the figure was replaced by the fully clothed, fuming, and undoubtedly furious real Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun," she cooed sweetly, and her pseudo honeyed tones promised death. "Don't think I missed the fact that you activating your Sharingan..."

...

...

...

_A/N_

_Ooh that was fun =) I know Neji and Sasuke are rather OOC, but to hell with it! _

_As usual, I couldn't decide on ShikaIno or ShikaTema, so I kept both =P A bad habit of mine._

_And an extra thumbs-up to any of you who recognized the Kakashi/Rin reference I alluded to (who else has purple stripes on their cheeks!)_

_Please review_

_xx_

_Highqueen_


	6. Proposals

_Disclaimer – Don't own Naruto_

…

_The NejiTen and SasuSaku scenes are actually (slightly edited) from my chaptered fic 'Confrontation'. The NaruHina and InoShika bits, however, are new… I just couldn't resist writing this ;)_

_Hope you enjoy and please review!_

…

…

…

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head. "Troublesome, troublesome, troublesome…"

"You know it's really not that bad," Naruto told him. "Heck, I had _loads _of fun when I did it!"

"That's not the point," Shikamaru sighed. "Ino's expecting something _grand, _something _amazing – _especially after _you three _did such – interesting things for _your – _wives…"

Sasuke and Neji both smirked at this, near identical expressions of predominant superiority crossing their faces.

"Ah, come on, Shikamaru, it's not that bad," Naruto comforted him. "It's not like _that _bastard did anything _too _spectacular…"

Sasuke glared at him.

"Of course I did, _dobe,_" Sasuke said viciously. "And Sakura _loved _it."

…

…

_"Where are we going, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, as they neared a rather unfamiliar part of the village. _

_"The Uchiha Compound," Sasuke grunted, and though Sakura was immensely surprised that he would take __her __there, she was also a bit confused._

…

…

_As they walked through the stone-lined path of the compound, Sakura realized that it wasn't as gloomy or depressing as she'd imagined it to be. Though all the homes were completely barren, and it was completely silent, there was no lingering sense of menace, no blood stains on the ground, nothing that would actually indicate the horrifying genocide that had taken place at the very spot years ago._

_In fact, it was quite a pretty place, with trees lining the walls, and a few small gardens and ponds. It seemed strangely new though, not something which had been lying barren for years._

_Sasuke stopped her outside a large, wooden house. It was surrounded by a garden, and there was a small pond as well. There was a porch encircling it, and Sakura could see a rather cozy-looking swing._

_"Is – this – your old house?" she asked softly, and Sasuke nodded. He stared at the swing for a moment, remembering a time when he and Itachi would sit there together, in the evening after he came back from academy._

_Sasuke led her up the porch and inside, and Sakura was surprised to see that even the house was clean, and rather __nice__ to be in. It was certainly opulent, as the Uchiha had always been excessively wealthy, and the furniture looked new. There was a spacious living room, many bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, and even a large rectangular room for clan meetings. It was all tastefully decorated – the furniture was dark wood, as were the floors, and the beds seemed soft, especially the round one with silky blue covers._

_"Do you like it?" Sasuke asked finally, though he seemed slightly apprehensive. Sakura couldn't comprehend why. "I just had it renovated… along with some other parts of the compound…"_

_So that's why it's so new and clean, __Sakura realized._

_Sasuke was looking at her expectantly, biting his lip._

_"It's beautiful!" Sakura told him truthfully, realizing that he wanted an answer. She really did like the house, and the compound. It was one of the places she would have dreamt of living in, only it seemed too out-of-reach. _

_"I'm glad you like it," Sasuke said, smiling, once again baffling Sakura. Why would it matter to him? He led her outside to the back porch, and Sakura gasped._

_There was a large garden, surrounded by trees. In the middle was a decently sized pond, a small wooden pier jutting out into the crystalline waters. It was nighttime now, and the twinkling stars illuminated the sparkling water. It was a beautiful setting, but what surprised Sakura even more, was that Sasuke had placed a blanket on the wooden pier, with food, and one burning candle._

_"You – you made me a candlelight dinner!" she squealed, heart leaping as her inner self nearly melted with the romance of it all. "That's so sweet, Sasuke-kun!"_

_Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing both his cheeks swiftly. She was pleased to see, under the starlight, a faint blush cross his cheeks._

_"Hn," he said, pulling her down. Sakura beamed at him._

_"Is this why you're so dressed up, Sasuke-kun?" she asked. "You were planning to take me on a romantic, candlelight picnic?"_

_"Not entirely," Sasuke said, and she scrunched her eyebrows,_

_"What do you mean?" she asked, but he smirked at her, gesturing at the food._

_"You'll see… eat."_

…

…

_"Thank you for the dinner, Sasuke-kun, it's been wonderful," she went on, and he smiled at her, content at her joy._

_"Here, Sasuke-kun, do you want a strawberry?" Sakura asked sweetly, holding the juicy fruit towards him all of a sudden. He couldn't refuse of course, despite the fact that he wasn't particularly fond of sweet things, so he leaned forward and allowed her to feed it to him, making sure his lips lingered against her fingers for a moment before he bit into the fruit._

_Sakura popped the remained of the strawberry into her mouth, and gulped it down quickly, her eyes widening as she realized something which she obviously couldn't wait to ask him._

_"Hey, Sasuke-kun, why did you renovate the compound? Are you thinking of moving back here?"_

_"As a matter of fact," Sasuke said, suddenly standing up, "I am."_

_He held out a hand to Sakura, who took it, and he pulled her up as well, wrapping his arms around her waist and touching his forehead to hers._

_"Sakura, I've been meaning to ask you something," he murmured, his voice suddenly serious._

_"Yes," she prompted him, her curiosity piqued. _

_"Well," Sasuke sighed, mustering up his courage. "I – you know I love you a lot, right," he said, and Sakura smiled at him, green eyes bright. She was silent though, which was unusual._

_"And I – I really like being with you, Sakura. In fact, I find myself missing you when you're not around, even though I see you all the time…"_

_"That's so sweet," Sakura cooed, before letting him continue._

_"And I – I know that this – bond we share – it's going to last forever, but I still – I –" Sasuke broke off, fumbling for words, his voice cracking slightly. "I've always wanted to rebuild my clan, Sakura – but this isn't – about that…"_

_Sakura bit back a gasp at the implications of his words, her heart hammering._

_Was he about to do what she thought he would?_

_"I love you, Sakura, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise I won't run off to Oto with some snake, I promise I won't leave you again, and I promise I'll protect you forever. You're – my best friend, and lover, Sakura – but – I – I want us to be more – I used to be an idiot who said bonds were weak, but now I've realized the bond I have with you is what makes me strong, as a shinobi. I want – to make it stronger Sakura – so I was – wondering…" Sasuke trailed off, taking a deep breath, and Sakura continued to stare at him, her heart nearly stopping in her chest._

_He looked at her for a moment, his eyes soft, before he suddenly kneeled down, on one knee, taking her hand in his._

_Sakura gasped out loud this time, feeling tears well up in her eyes, as her childhood teammate and crush bent down before her._

_"Will you – will you be my Uchiha bride, Sakura?" Sasuke murmured, looking at her hopefully, his dark eyes shining._

_"S-Sasuke-kun!" she said breathlessly, a tear now streaming down her cheek, as her heart threatened to burst from happiness._

_All her dreams and wishes were finally coming true, and she stared at his beautiful, hopeful face, taking in his request._

_Of course, there was no way in hell she would ever deny him._

_"Of course, Sasuke-kun! Of course I will!" Sakura gasped, and he smiled at her, a wide, boyish smile, and her heart leapt again. He pulled out something from his pocket – a ring – and as Sakura felt his soft fingers slide the cold metal around her own finger, she thought she'd die of ecstasy._

_She looked at it for a moment – it was silver, with a sparkling green stone._

_"The color reminded me of your eyes," Sasuke admitted, blushing slightly. "And the stone can store extra chakra, kind of like the first Hokage's necklace…"_

_"I __love __you, Sasuke!" Sakura proclaimed, before practically jumping on him as he made to stand up. He caught her neatly though, and pressed his lips against hers, answering her fervent kiss with equal ardor._

…

…

Sasuke smiled to himself, remembering the day all too well.

"So you made her a candlelight dinner," Shikamaru said thoughtfully. "I bet Ino would dig stuff like that, I could even convince Chouji to cook it for us…"

"You idiot!" Naruto screeched. "You're not making _Chouji _do anything! It has to be all you, Shikamaru! Ino would _love _a proposal that came straight from your _heart_!" he finished enthusiastically, blue eyes bright.

Shikamaru snorted.

"I already tried that, it pissed her off immensely," he said.

"Obviously," Sasuke supplied, "Since you put in no effort whatsoever in that pathetic excuse for a proposal… what was it again?"

Neji snorted, and spoke rather disdainfully.

"Nothing, really. Ino was just ranting about how her last name was still Yamanaka, when Tenten, Sakura and Hinata were happily married – and he strolled by and said something about how she could change it to Nara if she felt like… not a very smooth move if you want to woo a girl, might I add."

"Hey, you wooed Tenten with freaking weapons, you're no one to talk," Shikamaru shot back.

"It worked, didn't it," Neji said, raising his eyebrows. "As Tenten is now my wife. But Ino, obviously, is _not _yours. And my proposal was _perfect _for Tenten. Not to mention, I had to actually train before I managed to pull it off. You'd never do something like that."

"You're right," Shikamaru agreed. "Proposing is _such _a drag…"

"If you're so lazy, just cast genjutsu on her or something," Sasuke suggested. "Let her live out her perfect proposal, thinking it's real. You can't go wrong if it's an illusion."

"Are you kidding me?" Shikamaru asked. "Ino would kill me the moment I lifted the damn genjutsu. Not to mention, I don't really _do _genjutsu. I do shadows. Learning new jutsu is just too trou-"

"Yes, I can imagine," Sasuke cut him off sharply. "Don't bother, really."

"You could do it for me," Shikamaru said suddenly, perking up. "With your revered Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, it would be so easy for you…"

"No way," Sasuke said immediately. "I am _not _proposing to Ino _for _you – which is kind of what you're asking me to do."

"Aw, come on," Shikamaru persisted. "Just one little illusion, it will barely cost you any chakra, just let her think she's in some field full of flowers, and that I'm there, on my knees saying some utterly troublesome romantic crap…"

"No," Sasuke and Naruto both spoke this time.

"She's _your _girlfriend, you can propose yourself," Sasuke said.

"And the field full of flowers is _my _thing!" Naruto added. "That's how _I _proposed to Hinata – kind of!"

…

…

"_Naruto-kun, where are you taking me?" Hinata asked, allowing the blonde haired boy to lead her. His hands were placed securely over her eyes._

"_You'll find out," Naruto said, barely concealed excitement creeping into his voice. "Hey, Hina-chan, you don't have your Byakugan activated, do ya?"_

"_Of course not," Hinata replied truthfully._

"_Good, 'cause that would ruin the surprise," Naruto said._

"_S-surprise? F-for me?" Hinata asked, blushing slightly. "But Naruto-kun – aren't we supposed to be on a mission?"_

"_Don't worry, Hina-chan, we finished the mission anyways, remember? And yes, of course it's for you," Naruto said fondly, grinning. "And Granny won't mind if we come back a few hours late, trust me!"_

_He didn't bother to tell her that he'd actually convinced Tsunade to send them alone on a fake mission (which required finding a particular flower for one of her medicines) just so that he could bring Hinata to this place._

_It was a place close to Lightening country, which he'd stumbled across during his travels with Jiraiya. It was beautiful, and somehow, it seemed like the perfect location for what he intended to do._

"_Okay, you can open your eyes now," Naruto directed, moving his hands, and wrapping them around her waist from behind._

"_Wow," Hinata gasped, taking in the sight before her. "It – it's beautiful!" _

_They were in a large meadow, full of various, colourful flowers. They spread out in all directions, like a vibrant blanket. _

_She turned to Naruto, blushing. _

"_Thank you, Naruto-kun, for bringing me here!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. _

_Naruto beamed at her, kissing her on the nose, before he sat down, on the soft grass, bringing out a blanket from his knapsack._

"_Wh-what are you doing?" Hinata asked, cocking her head adorably._

"_We're having a picnic," Naruto replied, grinning._

…

…

"_This is so much fun," Hinata said happily, giggling as Naruto leaned over to press a kiss against her cheek. "I'm so happy you bought me here, Naruto-kun…"_

_She nibbled daintily on the dango, and Naruto watched her with a tender expression, for once more involved in the girl in front of him, than the steaming bowl of ramen that lay almost uneaten on the blanket._

"_Anything for you, Hinata," he murmured, making her blush again. _

"_Naruto-kun, why aren't you eating?" Hinata asked, pointing at his ramen. "Aren't you hungry?"_

_Naruto continued to gaze at her, his blue eyes soft._

"_Don't worry 'bout me, Hina-chan, I'm just fine…"_

…

…

"_Naruto," Hinata scolded gently, a few minutes later. The blonde was uncharacteristically silent as he gazed at her, and though she loved the attention from him, it was odd of him not to eat, since his appetite was usually insatiable. "Have some desert, at least," she offered._

_Naruto said nothing, but continued to watch her. Unconsciously, her pink tongue darted out, as she licked away some of the chocolate cream on the side of her mouth. _

_Naruto smirked slightly, before leaning over, pulling a delighted Hinata to him, and giving her a full-blown French kiss._

_They were both blushing when he pulled back. _

"_Naruto-kun," Hinata sighed, her eyes crinkling slightly, a dreamy expression in her eyes._

"_What?" he asked grinning mischievously, winking at the already flushed kunoichi. "You did tell me to have desert, and you're much sweeter yourself, Hina-chan, believe it!"_

_In response to this Hinata just buried her crimson face into his chest, her heart fluttering wildly._

…

…

"_Thank you, Naruto, everything was delicious!" Hinata complimented, as she began packing away the blanket._

"_Wait – Hinata," Naruto said, grabbing her wrist, from where he lay sprawled on the ground on his stomach, his chin resting on his propped up arms. "There's – still one more thing…"_

"_What?" Hinata asked curiously, and Naruto scrambled up, before reaching into his pocket._

_He removed a small blue box, tied with a pink ribbon, and held it out to her, rather bashfully._

"_Here," he mumbled, blushing._

"_I – thank you," Hinata said, carefully taking the box, and gazing at it in wonder. "You – you shouldn't have – Naruto-kun!"_

"_Just open it," he muttered, fidgeting all of a sudden._

_Hinata did so, carefully untying the ribbon, and opening the box, lifting up the white tissue._

"_Naruto!" she gasped, staring with wide eyes at the ring that lay inside._

_It was a slender golden ring, with engraved swirls, and a small sapphire in the middle. _

"_It was my mom's," Naruto said, regaining confidence, though he was still fidgeting. "My dad gave it to her years back. Jiraiya gave it to me when I was training with him."_

_Hinata stared, speechless, at the ring in her hand, wondering whether it was one of those promise or friendship rings, or whether he meant more._

_Naruto scooted over to her, gently taking her slender hands between his own._

"_See the little engravings on it, Hinata," he asked. "Those represent whirlpool, the land my mom originally came from. It was destroyed though, in war."_

_Hinata nodded, her white eyes wide._

"_And you see the writing on the inside – it's actually a kind of seal," Naruto continued, "Which my dad used, since he was the Yellow Flash. She could call him with it, whenever she wanted. I can't used his Body Flicker Technique, but I managed to modify it a bit, so whenever – whenever you twist it around three times, I'll automatically find out through the jutsu, and I'll teleport to where you are – if you're – in danger or something, or if you just – want me around…" _

"_Th-thank you, Naruto," Hinata managed, finally, biting her lip. "It – it's beautiful. I love it!"_

"_Not as beautiful as you," he said almost instinctively, scrunching his nose as Hinata giggled again._

"_That was really cheesy, wasn't it?" he asked, but Hinata shook her head, staring at him with sparkling eyes._

"_You know," Naruto said, taking a deep breath. "I – I gave you that ring for a reason…"_

_Hinata stared at him, silent again, waiting for him to continue._

"_I – there was – something I wanted – to ask you, actually…" he went on, stammering slightly._

"_Yes, Naruto?" Hinata whispered encouragingly, barely believing her ears._

_Naruto cupped her face with his hands, pulling her towards him so that their noses were touching, his deep blue eyes boring into her pearly ones._

"_Marry me, Hina-chan, please?" he asked beseechingly. "Will you?"_

…

…

"_Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, a few minutes later, after Hinata had kissed him passionately, and assured him that, yes, of course she would marry him. _

_He lifted her up, and twirled her around happily, amidst the meadow of flowers._

_Hinata's exhilarated laugh rang through the air, and he finally put her down, shooting her a dazzling smile._

"_So, Hina-chan, are you ready to be Mrs. Hinata Uzumaki, wife of the future Hokage?" he asked, winking._

_She kissed him on a whiskered cheek, smiling back, as he took her hands in his own._

"_I've always wanted to be," she told him truthfully._

…

…

"_GRANNY!" Naruto shouted, as he bounded over the rooftops into the Hokage tower. He was carrying a laughing Hinata, bridal style in his arms. _

_He'd carried her the whole journey back, despite her protests, simply because he wanted to._

_He burst through the wooden doors, and Tsunade looked up from her paperwork, slightly shocked._

_Naruto put Hinata down, grabbing her hand, the one with the ring, and flourishing it in front of Tsunade's amused face._

_He then shot the smiling Hokage a thumbs up._

"_Mission, propose to Hinata-chan, was a success!"_

…

…

"You didn't even get down on your knees," Shikamaru observed.

"Ah, shut up!" Naruto screeched. "My proposal was AWESOME, believe it! I took Hinata on a mission, to an exotic foreign land and _everything! _Not to mention, my ring kicked ass! It had a built in summoning jutsu, so she can call me whenever she needs me! What more would a girl want?"

"The ring _I _gave Sakura could store chakra," Sasuke piped up. "Pretty useful for medic-nin like her, I must say. And invaluable in battle, if she finds her chakra reserves running low."

"The one I gave Tenten had stones, which when pressed, summoned ten different kinds of weapons," Neji added.

Shikamaru buried his face in his hands.

"Great," he muttered. "So now I have to do an amazing proposal, _and _get her some cool ring with special powers. Thanks, guys."

"For what?" Sasuke asked coolly. "Caring enough about our girlfriends to actual put in effort into our proposals?"

Shikamaru said nothing for a moment, choosing to pick on Neji instead.

"_He _didn't do anything. He proposed when they were _sparring_! How unoriginal is that? I'd call it lame…"

Neji narrowed his eyes, Byakugan activating involuntarily.

"Very original, actually," he said through gritted teeth. "If only you knew…"

…

…

_"Tenten!"_

_Tenten jolted awake, sitting up quickly, instinctively grabbing the kunai she kept under her pillow. A warm hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her ninja reflexes._

_"Tenten, it's just me," a voice whispered in her ear, and in the darkness she could make out his familiar silhouette._

_"Geez, Neji, don't scare me like that!" Tenten muttered, rubbing at her eyes. "What are you doing here so late, anyway?"_

_It was 11:30 in the night._

_"Spar with me," Neji said suddenly, erasing all such thoughts from Tenten's memory._

_"Wh-what?" Tenten spluttered, shocked._

_"Spar with me," Neji repeated, his white eyes shining in the night. "Please."_

_"Neji, it's nearly midnight," Tenten said, scowling. "After ignoring me for the past two days, and refusing to spar with me, why on earth would you come __now __of all possible times? Even Gai doesn't start training till five in the morning!"_

_"I'm sorry," Neji murmured, bringing his face close to hers. She could feel his breath on her lips, and it excited her even in her drowsy state. "Please come and spar with me, Tenten. I promise I won't ask this of you again…"_

_"Ugh – fine!" Tenten relented, knowing she probably wouldn't be able to get out of it; and Neji seemed really eager to train with her all of a sudden, and she couldn't help but wonder why._

…

…

_Tenten was fully awake when the pair quietly stole through the silent Konoha streets, heading for their training ground._

_It was a beautiful night – the stars twinkled in the inky sky, and the moon was out, bathing everything in a faint silver glow._

_Tenten noticed Neji looked rather ethereal that night, his handsome face illuminated in the moonlight, his white eyes taking a silvery sheen._

_When they finally arrived at their training ground, Tenten was fully ready for a good spar. It seemed she hadn't had one with Neji in ages (it had only been three or four days) and her fingers itched for metal and paper._

_Tenten pulled her forehead protector up, reaching for a scroll, as Neji fell into his stance, at the centre of the clearing; it wasn't his usual stance though, which surprised her._

_"Tenten," he said, his voice soft, but carrying over the silent night. "Would you mind not using your scrolls today?" he requested._

_"Um… okay…" Tenten said, bemused. "Why not?"_

_"I'd prefer you attack me with just kunai, rather than your usual – weapons," Neji said. "I don't want to use my Kaiten. I'm trying to build my defense without actually using it, since that takes quite a bit of chakra. So I'd prefer you stick to just – simpler weapons for now."_

_Tenten was now quite bewildered. Neji was asking her to go __easy __on him? That didn't sound right… but then again, if he didn't intend to use his Kaiten, he probably had a point. Allowing her to unleash her scrolls upon him would be quite suicidal without it._

_"Fine then," Tenten agreed. "Just kunai."_

_Neji nodded, smiling slightly._

_This puzzled her, but Tenten shrugged, pulling out six of her kunai, and chucking them at him almost immediately._

…

…

_Neji cursed as the onslaught of kunai whizzed towards him – that girl really was deadly. He managed to grab three of them from mid-air, but had no choice but to dodge the rest. He flung the three in his hands in Tenten's direction, but they missed her, impaling themselves on the tree behind her with successive 'thunks'._

_"Missed me," Tenten teased, flinging out ten more in his direction._

_Neji smirked._

_My aim isn't as bad as you think, Tenten, he thought to himself_

_He had to duck again though, and was forced to use his fists to bat away the incoming kunai, though he managed to catch four in his hands this time, and he threw them towards Tenten again._

_Tenten didn't seem impressed as the kunai whizzed past her ear, buying themselves in the tree trunk behind her yet again. She sent another barrage at him, and followed it up successively with two more, making it increasingly difficult for Neji to dodge, catch and aim kunai at the same time._

…

…

_It went on for about eight more minutes – Neji had suffered a few minor scratches, as Tenten targeted him furiously. Over thirty kunai lay discarded around him, the ones he'd dodged or hit away with his hands. Tenten herself, was unscathed, looking supremely triumphant as she sent kunai after kunai at the white-eyed shinobi._

_Every single one of Neji's hits had missed her completely, lodging themselves in the trees. There were about thirty kunai sticking out of the line of trees. Neji, however, looked satisfied rather than frustrated, which puzzled her._

_"Do you want me to stop?" Tenten asked, noticing that Neji had stopped attacking, and was now merely deflecting all the kunai. He didn't reply though, pulling something round out of his pocket and hurling at the ground._

_BOOM!_

_"Damnit!" Tenten cursed, coughing slightly. She couldn't see a thing!_

_He'd used a smoke bomb, and it was already dark at night. That, coupled with the smoke made it impossible for her to make out anything._

_Of course, Neji with his all-seeing Byakugan, had no trouble with his vision, and could see perfectly._

_Tenten spun around, feeling out for his chakra, anticipating an attack – he'd probably gone easy on her, so he could catch her off guard, though using a smoke bomb, in Tenten's opinion was a cheap trick, since he did have the unfair advantage of the Byakugan._

…

…

_Neji in the meanwhile, zipped towards the trees, avoiding Tenten completely. He pulled out a long length of razor wire from his pocket, quickly looping it around, over and under the kunai, slipping it through the rings at the kunai handle to ensure it stayed in place._

_He tossed out another smoke bomb, as the smoke from the initial one began to dissipate, just to make sure Tenten couldn't see him. _

_It took a few more seconds, and Neji's job was done, as he looped the razor wire around the last kunai, before leaping up onto one of the trees on the opposite side of the clearing._

_He waited for half a minute – there was silence, as the smoke gradually began to clear away._

_"Tenten!" he called, to get her attention, and she spun around, nunchucks in hand, looking up in the direction of his voice as the smoke cleared._

_"Neji!" she shouted from below, glaring at him where he stood, smirking on one of the tree branches. "What the hell was that for? And you cheated!"_

_Neji smirked at her, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a shiny silver kunai, and flicked it in her direction, before leaping up and disappearing again._

_"…the hell?" Tenten muttered, catching the kunai that came spinning towards her. She spun it on her finger once, intending to chuck it right back at him when he made his reappearance. But to her immense surprise, the blade of the kunai suddenly broke off, falling to the ground with a clatter, leaving the silver ring spinning on her finger._

_Tenten furrowed her brow, her eyes widening slightly, when she realized that the ring seemed to be made of pure silver, and was studded with tiny white and red stones._

…

…

_Tenten stared at the silver ring for a few seconds, still extremely confused, though her heart was beating rather rapidly now._

_There was a sudden whirring sound behind her – the sound kind of sound that chakra makes in the air, and Tenten whirled around._

_She gasped, her heart nearly stopping in her chest, her brown eyes wide and her mouth dropping open at the sight in front of her._

_Razor wire had been strung and looped around the kunai which Neji had thrown at her earlier, the kunai which were now lodged into the trees. Blue chakra was flowing around the wires, making the letters formed by the kunai and wire clearly visible._

_There, written in blazing blue chakra with wire and kunai, across the bark of the trees at their training grounds, were the words 'MARRY ME'._

…

…

_Tenten stared at the sight in front of her, her heart pounding wildly._

_It was a dream come true – it was __better __than a dream come true._

_"N-Neji!" Tenten cried out, her voice shaking, as she clutched the silver ring tightly in her hand._

_As if in response to her cry, Neji leapt down from the sky above moments later, tossing out tagged kunai. They were exploding kunai, she could tell, though when they landed on the ground, instead of exploding, they sent up large, colorful sparks into the air, which sizzled and crackled._

_Tenten stared in awe at the fireworks display, and then at the shinobi, as Neji landed neatly on his knees in front of her, the blazing words visible above his head. He was holding the remaining length of the razor wire in one hand, using it to supply chakra, and his other hand was extended out towards her._

_Neji's handsome face glowed in the blue light of his chakra and the colorful sparks above._

_"Marry me, Tenten?" Neji asked breathlessly, smiling at her charmingly, white eyes sparkling._

…

…

_Tenten gazed at the young man's face for a moment, before jumping on him. She knocked him over, and they landed on the ground with a thud, their fall muffled by the soft grass._

_Neji was still giving her that dazzling smile, his eyes hopeful, and Tenten leaned in to give him one of the most passionate, memorable kisses of both their lives._

_"I take that as a yes," Neji said, laughing slightly when she pulled away, staring at him with tear-filled eyes._

_"Yes!" Tenten whispered. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES! I __love __you Neji!"_

_This time, he pulled her down, brushing away a tear with his thumb, before kissing her. They lay together, their limbs entangled, kissing wildly on the very same ground where they'd sparred since they were kids, the words 'MARRY ME' still visible across the trees in shimmering blue chakra, fireworks still bursting above, splashing the dark skies with multi-colored sparks._

…

…

"Fine, so it wasn't lame," Shikamaru conceded. Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so it was brilliantly thought out, well executed, and suited perfectly to your lover's tastes, alright!" Shikamaru burst out, and Neji nodded, satisfied. "But Ino would probably shriek and scream if I threw a weapon at her. I think that sort of thing would only work on Tenten."

"Which is why I did it, and why I married her," Neji said, as if stating the obvious.

"Yeah, well… you guys have left me even more uninspired than before," he muttered, resting his chin on his hands. "This is so troublesome…"

"That's the fifth time you've said that word in the past fifteen minutes," Naruto observed. "Five and a half, if you count the time Sasuke cut you off before you could finish it."

"Nice to know you have such an interesting life," Shikamaru said sarcastically. "Ugh, what do I do? This is such a drag… troublesome Ino…"

"Six and a half!" Naruto yelled triumphantly.

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes.

…

…

"Brilliant," Shikamaru said aloud, as sudden inspiration struck him.

It was the perfect idea – Ino would get _exactly _the kind of proposal she wanted – and he would probably just have to sit in one place, unmoving the entire time.

He'd have to _think _a lot though, but that was okay.

Shikamaru liked thinking.

He was renowned for it.

…

…

"Shikamaru!" Ino yelled, as she suddenly found herself paralyzed one day. "What the hell?"

Shikamaru smirked, from where he was leaning against a tree, a shadow extending from his form across the grass to Ino's.

Shikamaru lifted his hands up, holding them parallel to the ground, bending his fingers so that his thumbs touched, and his index and middle fingers did as well.

Ino's eyes widened, as her fingers were also forced into the familiar seal thanks to Shikamaru's Shadow Mimic Technique, which the lazy shinobi had suddenly decided to use on her.

"What – are you doing?" she asked, her teeth clenched, as her fingers copied Shikamaru's, and made the seal for _her _Mind Transfer Jutsu, which he'd seen her use countless times.

"Just do the jutsu, already, Ino," Shikamaru drawled.

"Why?" she demanded, struggling to move.

It was useless – the Shadow Mimic Technique had her trapped, and she could only move when Shikamaru chose to.

"I won't let you move till you do," Shikamaru warned her.

Ino glowered at him, but seeing it was probably the best way to get rid of him, complied.

"I don't get why you're making me do this," she told him. "But fine! Mind-Transfer Jutsu!"

…

…

"Wh-where am I?" Ino shrieked, shocked, as she left her body and found herself in an endless grassy field. She looked up, to see a blue sky, filled with clouds that floated languidly past.

"Hello," Shikamaru said, suddenly appearing next to her. "In answer to your question, you are in my mind."

"Wha – how?" Ino screeched. "That isn't possible! My jutsu is supposed to make me take over your body, not trap me in your mind! And why are you even here? You're supposed to be – well, not in your own body! That's how it works!"

"Well," Shikamaru said lazily, smirking slightly. "My dad taught me this little trick – it's pretty simple, just requires a lot of concentration – in which I can make sure you don't eject me out of my own body with the jutsu. He created it after _your _dad used the Mind-Transfer jutsu on him for some kind of a prank. It's pretty useful, see – the result is that we're _both _now trapped within _my _mind, which is also completely under _my _control…"

"Oh, brilliant job," Ino said sarcastically. "I suppose the whole point of your stunt was to gloat? That's unlike you Shika, seriously…"

"No," Shikamaru said, stretching out languidly on the grass. "That would be too troublesome. Actually I bought you here for another purpose."

"Well, what is it?" Ino snapped. "I kind of want to get back to my _own _body, thanks."

"Tell me, Ino," Shikamaru said, looking directly at the blue-eyed kunoichi. "What would be your – ideal _date_?"

"My ideal – what?" Ino asked, blushing. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Just describe it," Shikamaru told her, closing his eyes.

"Well," Ino began hesitatingly, "I guess – I guess it would be – on a boat."

Shikamaru cracked open an eye, staring at her.

"Yeah," Ino said, her eyes misting over. "A boat ride, in the middle of a lake, at midnight, when the moon is shining, and illuminating the water…"

Suddenly, Ino felt a lurching sensation, and the scenery around her blurred.

"Shikamaru!" she yelled, panicking. "What's happening?"

A few seconds later, Ino found herself in a small wooden boat. The boat was floating in the middle of a clear, pristine lake, surrounded by a forest, and the silvery moonlight reflected off the waters.

Shikamaru was sprawled across the seat opposite her.

"Yo," he said. "This what you had in mind?"

"H-how did you – do that?" Ino gasped.

"This is _my _mind, Ino," Shikamaru said patiently. "I can imagine up anything I like."

Ino's eyes suddenly lit up, a conniving smile appearing on her face.

"Really! Then change this rickety little thing to a bigger boat – a yacht! With nice glass windows and everything!" she demanded.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned, but complied anyway.

A few seconds later, Ino found herself sitting on the dark wooden floor of a gleaming yacht.

She clapped her hands excitedly.

"Shikamaru, you're brilliant!" she cried. "This is awesome!"

"I know," Shikamaru agreed, smiling at her excitement.

"You – you just wanted to take me out on a date, didn't you, Shika?" she crooned.

"Yes," he agreed again, feeling immensely satisfied when Ino launched herself on him, kissing him hard.

He reluctantly let go of her when she pulled away, making a noise of protest.

"_Wait, _Shika," Ino said sternly. "Now that we're in a nice yacht in the middle of a romantic lake – I can't possibly be wearing my ninja garb," she said dramatically, gesturing at her purple clothes.

"I can remedy that," Shikamaru said immediately, smirking as he thought of Ino in nothing but lacy purple lingerie.

"Pervert!" Ino screamed, covering herself up when she suddenly found her clothes had disappeared, and she was clad in only silky undergarments.

"Shit," Shikamaru muttered, not realizing that his thoughts had actually materialized. He immediately thought of her in her purple ninja garb again, and Ino, to her immense relief, found herself covered.

"You freak!" Ino fumed, though he could tell she was pleased. "You just want me that badly, don't you?"

"I won't deny that," Shikamaru stated bluntly, not seeing the point in covering up. This was far tougher than he'd thought – he'd really have to control his mind.

"Well, in repayment for that, you can give me a nice dress," Ino directed him. "Purple silk, halter neck, with matching heels too."

A few seconds later, Ino was gushing in delight over her new dress, which hugged her curves perfectly, accentuating her figure – of course, Shikamaru would have it no other way.

"Now you must wear a tux," she commanded, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes but complied, his shinobi vest and pants switching themselves for a black jacket and formal pants.

"Happy?" he asked, and Ino beamed at him.

"You look verrry handsome, Shika-kun," she purred, walking towards him, her dress swishing around her knees.

Shikamaru wished he'd made it a bit shorter – the moment the thought entered his mind, a few inches were chopped off of the bottom of the dress.

Ino didn't seem to mind, as she leaned over for a kiss.

…

…

"This really is the perfect date," Ino murmured, nibbling on a chocolate-covered strawberry. It was amazing how she could just tell Shikamaru she wanted something, and he'd immediately 'think it up' for her.

_Ha, take that forehead, _she thought to herself. _Sasuke fed you strawberries, but mine are chocolate-covered!_

"I worked very hard," Shikamaru said, "So I'm glad you like it."

Ino swatted him playfully on the head.

"Don't kid yourself, Shika-kun, we both know this is _no _work for you. All you have to do is sit and think, right? You're lucky I love you so much, despite your laziness…"

…

…

"Oh my god!" Ino squealed happily, as her teammate bent down on one knee in front of her. "I didn't think you had it in you!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and proceeded with his speech. Knowing Ino, she would fully expect one.

"Ino, despite the fact that you're the most loud, bossy, annoying and _troublesome _woman in my life – I love you a lot, and think that things would actually be more troublesome without you. My life would be a total drag, without you in it, so please, could you stop annoying me, and be my wife? You can hit me and yell at me all you want, I won't mind, as long as you kiss me for it later?"

It was the most ridiculous speech, but it was so _Shikamaru, _and Ino soon burst into tears, hugging him, and shrieking 'Yes!'

…

…

"It's empty," Ino said, staring blankly at the small velvet box which Shikamaru held towards her. "Isn't there supposed to be a ring?"

"What kind do you want?" he asked her. "You see, I won't give you anything less than exactly what _you _want, Ino…"

Ino smiled at him.

"I've trained you well, haven't I?" she asked cheerfully, and Shikamaru just groaned. "Fine then! I want a golden ring – no silver – with sapphires – no actually _diamonds! _Yeah, heart-shaped diamonds – no, actually _star-shaped _would look so much cuter…"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, trying to visualize the different rings she'd asked for, as they flashed within the box. Finally, he thrust the whole bunch of them at her.

"Pick whichever one you want," he muttered. "And hurry up…"

Ino scowled at him for a moment, before choosing the white gold ring with sparkling diamonds. The other ones vanished immediately.

Ino made to slip it onto her finger, but Shikamaru's hand stopped her.

"I-I'll do it," he mumbled, gently pushing it onto her ring finger. Ino blushed.

"Th-thanks, Shika…" she murmured, and seeing the expression in her eyes, Shikamaru decided it hadn't been so troublesome after all.

He stood up, placing his hands around her waist, and leaned in to kiss her.

"Love you, Ino, I really do," he murmured.

…

…

"Th-that was – nice," Ino said, blushing, as she finally returned to her own body. "Did that – actually happen?"

"Of course," Shikamaru said lazily, still leaning against the tree. He hadn't budged even one inch during the whole proposal.

"So I'm officially Ino Nara, huh?" she said aloud, holding up her hand. Her sparkling blue eyes suddenly narrowed when she noticed it was bare.

"Shit, I'm screwed," Shikamaru muttered.

Of course the ring wouldn't be there! He'd imagined it after all – and Ino _would _expect an actual ring to show off to Sakura and the others, despite everything he'd done.

"Shikamaru," Ino said dangerously, her blue eyes reduced to slits. "Where is my ring?"

Shikamaru gulped.

"Come on Ino, that's no way to talk to your – future husband…" he said, blanching at her reaction.

He'd probably have to go buy her a ring after all – and it'd have to be the same kind as the one she'd dreamed up, which meant it would be extravagantly expensive!

At least she'd accepted his proposal. That thought made Shikamaru Nara a happier, and though this may seem hard to believe, a slightly perkier man.

…

…

"Shikamaruuu!" Ino hollered, the next day.

_What could she possibly want? _Shikamaru wondered. _I bought her the damn ring!_

"Shika-kun, come _on! _We have to start planning the wedding!" Ino squealed.

Shikamaru groaned.

_Wedding? How troublesome…_

…

…

_A/N – I overused the catchphrase, I know! I couldn't resist!_

_Hope you liked, please drop me a review!_

_And don't ask how the mind transfer thing was possible, it just was, for the sake of the fic! =P_

_xx_


	7. NejiTen : Injury

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto except in my dreamworld =P_

_A/N – I actually dreamt up this fic. Yeah I know, it sounds odd, but two weeks back, I had this dream, in which the first part of this fic happened – it's like I was reading the manga, and this scene played out in black and white. it was SO cool! (yes I'm so retarded, I DREAM about Naruto, since I think about it so much. Most of my dreams are senseless, this one was actually pretty nice)_

_The idea is a bit cliché but still..._

_So I had to put it down in form of a fic, it's been nagging at me for days... and now that Confrontation is over (sniff) and I miss it, I NEED to write another oneshot, to get over that... _

_So here you go – I've tried keeping this one as in character as possible. I can imagine this actually happening in the manga and anime. I really can. _

_**And I've included a little omake in the end as a treat after the authors notes**__ ;) Just for kicks_

_Hope you like this_

_xx_

_..._

_..._

_..._

"Twin Rising Dragons!"

"Eight Trigram Sixty-Four Palms!"

"INITIAL LOTUUUS!"

The sound of whirring metal filled the air, as Tenten leapt up, her scrolls twisting around her lithe form, and began flinging weapons at the enemy ninja with lethal accuracy.

Neji, in the meantime, his Byakugan dilated, long hair rippling around him, charged at the other nin, his arms and hands moving so fast they were only visible as white blurs.

Lee was pummelling two bandage-covered shinobi into the ground, spinning them around before hurling them with a breakneck speed into the ground.

BOOM!

A sudden explosion filled the forest, courtesy of Edo-Tensei Deidara, who'd arrived at the battle scene.

Rocks and smoke were scattered in all directions, a raging inferno caused by the bomb erupting from the ground.

Lee, with his super speed, just managed to leap away from the blast.

"Eight Trigram Palm Rotation!" Neji yelled, expeditiously whirling into his ultimate defense to ward off the attack. He strained his eyes to see through the blue chakra shield around him, and the thick grey smoke which had covered the area.

He'd seen Lee escape from his peripheral vision, and he hoped with all his heart that Tenten had managed to summon her Iron Protection Wall, which she often used when attacked like this. It was as good a defense as Neji's Kaiten in most cases.

She had been fighting on the opposite side of the clearing as him – and the bomb had blown up so suddenly, they hadn't had a warning at all; it was just a few milliseconds, and they'd had to act, their next move meaning the difference between life and death.

Of course, such was the life of a shinobi.

Neji continued his spinning, slowing down his pace as the smoke began to dissipate. He still couldn't make out Tenten's chakra signature; maybe Lee had pulled her away with him?

Neji finally stopped moving all together, his defensive shield dispelling, as he struggled for a sign of his teammate.

He couldn't see the large, round protection wall she had summoned.

Neji's heart quickened, his Byakugan scanning the area wildly. Most of the enemy ninja seemed to have died from the explosion.

Suddenly, his eyes fell on her form.

Neji's heart stopped, at that moment, a sickening feeling of fear chilling him to the bone.

Tenten's battered form lay on the ground, a few feet away. Her face was charred, her clothes ripped, and she sported numerous wounds and gashes. There was blood pooling from her head as well – she must have hit it when she fell, and she was surrounded by her own weapons; the force of the blast had deflected them all back at her before she could react.

_N-no, _was the only thought that entered Neji's head, as he stared, seemingly paralyzed at his teammate's limp form, blood pounding to his head.

...

...

"TENTEN!" Neji cred, his face wild, his voice panicked, and he was by her side in an instant, his white eyes wide, the veins on the side of his face throbbing furiously.

He reached over, placing his fingers on her wrist, breathing heavily.

There was a pulse.

This barely comforted Neji – it was obvious the girl was gravely wounded, and unconscious. She didn't have much time left, and Neji was panicking.

He spun around, his face furious, as a few unharmed enemy nin walked through the trees behind him.

One of them took in the sight of the anguished white-eyed shinobi's face as he crouched protectively over his fallen teammate.

"Well, what do we have here?" the ninja spoke, leering unpleasantly, his voice malicious.

He made a few hand seals, and a large dragon, composed entirely of ice erupted from his palm.

"ROTATION!" Neji yelled, jumping up and spinning around again, deflecting the attack. He made sure his chakra shield was covering Tenten's form.

He wouldn't be able to use his Gentle Fist attack – though that would surely incapacitate the ninja quickly, it would also leave Tenten's unconscious form unguarded, and Neji was willing to step away from her.

He leapt out of his Kaiten, holding his palms out in front of him.

"Eight Trigram Empty Palm!" he shouted, his movements frantic.

The enemy ninja were blown backward by the sudden powerful gust of air, and they crashed into the trees behind them.

He hadn't killed them, or incapacitated them, but he'd stalled them for a moment or two.

Neji immediately turned around, without a thought, scooped up Tenten's bleeding form in his arms, and leapt upwards, making his escape.

...

...

Neji had never been a shinobi to break rules. He always followed mission guidelines and shinobi conduct obediently, ensuring the mission's success even if he had to risk his life.

But this time, it was Tenten's life at stake, and though they'd often entered life-threatening circumstances together, Neji Hyuuga was not about to let his teammate, best friend and preferred sparring partner die on him.

Mission (and possible upcoming promotion to ANBU) be damned.

...

...

Neji leapt from branch to branch, his teeth gritted, Byakugan eyes alert.

He had to resist the temptation to look down at Tenten's unconscious form in his arms – every time he did, it only bought a flare of panic in his chest.

They were being pursued, he could tell, but Neji didn't care, as he pumped more and more chakra to his legs, desperately fleeing from the enemies behind him for the first time in his life.

Neji had never been one to run away from battle before, but Tenten's pulse was faint, and her chakra was acting strange – that much he could see with his Byakugan.

...

...

"Where are Neji and Tenten?" Gai asked as Lee sent another enemy flying with a strong kick to his chest.

"I – don't know!" Lee panted, delivering his 'Leaf Spinning Wind' attack to yet another. "After the explosion – they just – disappeared – Gai-sensei!"

Gai furrowed his thick brows, blocking the punch aimed at him, and retaliating with one of his own, which was ten times harder.

They were safe, they had to be – Neji and Tenten both had their own defensive attacks... but it was odd of them not to report back to him.

It gave Gai and uncomfortable feeling, for he knew that if either Neji or Tenten disobeyed the rules and regulations, it had to have been for a very good reason.

"I hope one of them isn't injured," Gai muttered aloud, a foreboding feeling creeping into his heart.

...

...

"Damnit," Neji hissed, teeth clenched as he leapt to the side.

A kunai whizzed past, just cutting his cheek.

They were getting closer – Tenten's added weight made him slower, and he'd already exhausted quite a lot of chakra fighting.

Still, there was no way he was going to give up, and Neji continued jumping from branch to branch, evading the weapons aimed at him.

He could easily stop, turn around, fight and probably defeat them.

But with Tenten on the brink of death, time was of essence at that was simply not an option.

...

...

The ninja stopped pursuing him a kilometre away from Konoha; they weren't foolish enough to follow him after that.

Neji burst through the gates, the limp form of his teammate in his arms.

He was practically drained of chakra – he'd been pumping it to his legs to keep him going – and his face and arms were covered with a few small cut and gashes.

But he still moved with speed and urgency, his Bykugan eyes wide, a terrified expression on his handsome, usually calm face, as he sped across the rooftops of Konoha towards the Hokage tower.

"Neji!"

Sakura was the first person he saw, her jade eyes widening when she took in his battered appearance, and the kunoichi lying in his arms.

"Tenten – what happened to her?" Sakura asked, her voice high. "Is she –"

"Get Tsunade-sama _now_."

The tone in his voice left no scope for argument and Sakura nodded, dashing off to find her apprentice.

...

...

"Please, you _have _to save her," Neji said breathlessly, his white eyes fixated on the form of his teammate as they wheeled her into the emergency room.

"Hokage-sama..." he pleaded.

Tsunade's amber eyes softened, as she took in the face of the normally composed Hyuuga. He was obviously very shaken by Tenten's injury, and he looked like he was on the verge of breaking down.

"My medics and I will do our best, but I cannot promise anything," she said gently, hesitating as a look of unbearable panic flashed in his eyes.

"You should rest, Neji, and attend to your injuries. This operation will take a while."

...

...

"Neji! What happened? How is she?"

Neji, who had been slumped against the wall, across from the locked white doors, inside of which Tenten's surgery had been going on for the past two hours, looked up.

His eyes seemed dead, though there was still a slight flicker of hope within them. He was troubled, extremely troubled, that much was obvious, and it was taking him a lot of self-control to hold himself together.

"Neji!" Lee repeated, sounding extremely worried. "How is she?"

Neji shrugged, shaking his head, and returned back to staring at the door expressionlessly.

"This – can't happen – to – Tenten!" Lee choked, bursting into tears.

"She'll pull through," Gai consoled him, though there were tears flowing down his cheeks as well.

Neji wished he could cry as easily as them, let himself loose, unleash the worry and emotion he had pent up within him... but how would that even help Tenten? How would crying relieve him of the pain and distress he was facing?

...

...

"Neji," Shizune said sternly, gazing at the obviously exhausted boy who was now pacing incessantly in front of the emergency room.

He paused in his relentless pacing, and looked at her, wordlessly. Shizune could see that a film of moisture coated his pearly white eyes.

"Neji, you need to go home and _rest_. We will inform you when the operation is over! On Tsunade-sama's orders!"

"How is she doing?" Neji asked, the tone of his voice and stubborn expression on his face indicating that he was going _nowhere._

"Tsunade-sama's doing her best," Shizune said, conceding. "At least eat something!"

"..."

"Neji!"

"... I'm fine."

...

...

_She can't die! _Neji thought. _Fate cannot be so cruel..._

_Or can it?_

Neji remembered his father, being snatched away from him when he was just four. He didn't even remember his mother, she had died when he was just one.

He'd been quite a forlorn child after that, preferring to keep to himself, harbouring a cynical attitude to the world, towards his clan.

Tenten had been his first friend, the first person he'd spoken to more than was demanded by civil etiquette.

...

...

_Neji surveyed his new teammates, feeling a sense of derision towards the thick-browed boy._

_It was Rock Lee – Neji knew him, of course. He was a failure, a foolish shinobi who could only do taijutsu. It was fated that he would fail as a ninja. Neji didn't see why he bothered, nor did he find it just that a prodigy like him be paired off with an abysmal washout like Lee._

_The bun-haired girl, he knew, was Tenten. She was top kunoichi of their year, coming second after him in the entire class. He hadn't really spoken to her before. She seemed cheerful, but slightly apprehensive, though Neji didn't care less at the time. He'd expected getting a girl on his team, and though slightly chauvinistic in his viewpoint that females were not capable enough to be ninja (that whimpering Hinata Hyuuga proved him right!), Neji was slightly relieved to see Tenten was the kunoichi assigned to his squad. She wasn't a fangirl, which was a relief, since Neji abhorred fangirls. And if she was top kunoichi, she probably wasn't all that bad..._

_..._

_..._

"_So!" Gai boomed, beaming at his new genin. "We'll start off with sharing a little bit about each other! Our dreams, our goals, our ambitions!"_

_He looked at Neji expectantly. Lee and Tenten looked at him too. Neji raised his eyebrow._

"_I'd really rather not tell," he said condescendingly._

"_Sensei! Sensei! Pick me!" Lee shouted immediately, bouncing up and down on his seat, his hand stretched high._

_Gai turned to Lee, nodding._

"_I want to show that I can be a splendid ninja as well, even though I don't have ninjutsu or genjutsu... I want to show it to the whole world!" Lee proclaimed, jumping out of his seat._

"_That's impossible," Neji scoffed._

"_It is not!" Lee cried. "I graduated, didn't I?"_

"_They let you graduate at the academy with just taijutsu not because they thought you were special," Neji said disparagingly, "But because you were strange. Face it, you will never become a ninja without genjutsu or ninjutsu. It is fated!"_

"_I'll prove you wrong!" Lee cried passionately, "You have now become my rival, and I will defeat you one day with just taijutsu, and you will eat your words!"_

"_Enough," Gai said, stopping the duo. He turned to Tenten, who'd been watching Neji and Lee, her brown eyes slightly wide._

_Lee turned to her as well, Neji watching out of the corner of his eyes._

"_Oh!" Tenten said, perking up. "Well... my dream is to become a strong kunoichi like Lady Tsunade. I want to show that kunoichi can be as strong as shinobi – whether you're a boy or a girl doesn't matter on the battlefield!"_

_She spoke confidently, and Neji had to admit, her dream was – acceptable._

_At least it was far more sensible than that Rock Lee._

_..._

_..._

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

_Neji watched, slightly surprised, when all her kunai hit the bulls-eye perfectly._

_Her precision and speed was already flawless; even with his Byakugan he couldn't get his weapons that close to target._

_Tenten beamed, turning around to face her teammates and sensei._

"_Excellent job!" Gai-sensei praised. "You truly are a master of weapons!"_

"_That's amazing Tenten!" Lee said adoringly. "Can you help me with my aim?"_

_Neji didn't say anything, though. After all, why would he go out of his way to praise her, even if she was his teammate, and even if she was rather talented for her age?_

_..._

_..._

"_Oh Lee! My precious student! The springtime of youth burns within you!" Gai proclaimed, his eyes welling up with tears._

"_Anything for you, Gai-sensei!" Lee replied, just as emotionally, tears pouring down his cheeks. _

"_LEE!"_

"_GAI-SENSEI!"_

"_LEE!"_

"_GAI-SENSEI!"_

_They embraced, running off into a sunset, waves crashing behind them. _

_Neji and Tenten stood, slightly shocked by this display, which would soon become quite common for the team._

"_...um," Tenten spoke up after a while, "That was – weird..."_

"_Hn," Neji grunted, feeling slightly thankful that he had at least one teammate who wasn't mentally retarded._

_..._

_..._

_Neji, Lee and Tenten lay panting on the ground. Gai had just run them through his rigorous training regime, and they were pretty exhausted._

_A few minutes later, Lee was back on his feet, continuing his push-ups._

"_Lee!" Tenten cried. "You shouldn't! You'll over-exert yourself!"_

"_I – must – Tenten!" Lee grunted, between push-ups, sweat pouring off his face. "If I can't – do one – hundred push ups – I will take three hundred – laps around – the village!"_

"_You're mad!" Tenten gasped._

"_Leave him alone," Neji said, annoyed. "He'll never learn, anyway."_

_..._

_..._

_Gai and Lee had run off into the sunset again, leaving Tenten and Neji alone after training one day._

"_Well, I'm pretty hungry," Tenten said, turning to the boy beside her. "Wanna go grab something to eat?"_

"_... no thanks," Neji dismissed her invitation without a thought._

_Tenten shrugged, unfazed, as she pocketed her weapons._

"_See you tomorrow then," she said, rushing off, not even waiting for him to reply._

_Not that he would have said anything, anyway._

_..._

_..._

"_Neji, could you please move?" Tenten requested one morning. _

_Neji cracked a white eye opening, displeased at being disturbed from his meditation._

"_What?" he asked, a bit harshly._

"_I want to do some target practice," she said apologetically, a kunai spinning around her finger, "And you're kind of in the way."_

_Neji smirked._

"_Your aim is perfect, right? The target is above my head. You shouldn't have a problem hitting it, even if I'm sitting here."_

_Her eyes widened._

"_That's – that's a bit reckless, you know," she said, sounding worried._

_Neji didn't reply, closing his eyes and returning back to his meditation._

_Hopefully, she'd get the point, and leave him alone._

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

_Neji's eyes flew open in shock._

_Tenten was grinning at him, her brown eyes twinkling._

_He titled his head up, and saw the three kunai, lodged inches above his head, right on target._

_He smirked again, slightly._

_He hadn't expected her to actually do it._

_Of course, after that incident, it kind of became an unspoken routine for them. Neji still continued to meditate under the tree Tenten used for target practice. Tenten continued her target practice, despite his presence._

_Neji never worried himself though – he trusted her aim, it was perfect._

_..._

_..._

"_Well, I'm starved," Tenten said, stretching her limbs after a rather arduous practice. "I'm going to Ichiraku's. Good-bye, Neji, Lee, Gai-sensei!"_

"_Bye-bye Tenten!"_

"_Good-bye, youthful flower!"_

"_..."_

"_Huh? Neji?" Tenten seemed surprised to see the long-haired boy beside her, as she walked out of the training grounds._

"_... you didn't expect me to stay alone with them, did you?" he asked._

"_Oh! Of course not!" Tenten said, smiling slightly. "So – um – are you coming to eat?"_

"_Hn."_

_..._

_..._

"_Fight with the full power of youth, Tenten!" Gai encouraged._

"_Come on Tenten! Send that girl back to her village!" Lee cheered exuberantly._

_Neji didn't cheer, though he watched the match with interest._

_Tenten was certainly far better than the rest of Konoha's rather pathetic kunoichi, pathetic in Neji's eyes. But the strange shinobi from the Sand village seemed like formidable rivals._

_..._

_..._

"_Tenten cannot win," Neji said firmly. _

"_How can you say that?" Lee demanded, shocked that Neji was taking Temari's style._

"_Tenten uses weapons. She is fighting a wind user. It's impossible," Neji told him, sighing._

_If only Tenten had been matched up against someone whose technique didn't have such an obvious advantage over her own... still, Neji had to admit, she fought gracefully._

_..._

_..._

"_... congratulations, Neji, you got through," Tenten offered weakly, when the boy had come to the hospital wing with Gai to visit her and Lee._

"_Obviously, I wasn't about to lose against that pathetic excuse for a kunoichi," Neji said contemptuously. _

_Tenten didn't comment on this._

"_Yeah... I wish Lee and I had pulled through... you have to win this for us, okay?"_

"_... you could have, if you had fought another opponent," he told her frankly._

"_What? You mean – you really think so, Neji?"_

_Tenten seemed rather pleased. Neji didn't understand why. He wasn't trying to compliment her, he was just stating the facts._

"_Yes... you were destined to lose the moment you were matched up against a wind user, whose chakra type has a natural advantage over your weapons. It was fated," he said matter-of-factly._

_Tenten rolled her eyes at this, but smiled slightly._

"_Thanks, I guess..."_

_..._

_..._

"_Train with me."_

_It came out more as a command, then a request, but Neji didn't care._

"_W-what?" Tenten seemed shocked. _

"_I need to train for the Chuunin exam finals," Neji repeated. _

"_Yeah," Tenten said, twirling a kunai between her fingers, "I got that. But why – me?"_

_Neji raised an elegant eyebrow._

"_Why not? Do you have any objections?" he asked coolly._

"_No! Of course not," Tenten said, blushing slightly. "It's just that – everyone is training with their sensei, or a family member – I can't help but wonder why you'd ask me."_

_She regretted her words the moment she said them, as Neji's face hardened slightly._

_Of course he wouldn't ask his family, and Gai-sensei was too busy with Lee._

"_Your fighting style and my own are a good match," he finally said. "If we trained together, it would benefit us both. Your Twin Rising Dragons attack would help me on my ultimate defense, and you can improve your taijutsu sparring with me as well."_

"_... okay, sure! When do we start?"_

"_Right now."_

_..._

_..._

"_Hey Neji," Tenten interrupted, looking a bit uneasy. "If these are all your clan secrets – why are you telling me? Aren't others not allowed to know this kind of stuff about your techniques?"_

_Neji shrugged._

"_I trust you," he told her simply. "And since we're going to be sparring together, we'll soon know each other's techniques and fighting styles in and out anyway."_

_Tenten couldn't help but feel pleased, and rather honoured._

_Over the time, she knew more about the Gentle Fist, Byakugan, and even its blind spot, a secret which Neji guarded ferociously – then even some of the Hyuuga members themselves._

_..._

_..._

_Whiz. Thunk. Thunk. Clatter. _

_Tenten panted, the unfurled scroll dropping to the ground, as her deflected weapons hit the surrounding trees._

_The large blue sphere disappeared, as Neji stopped his spinning, and stood in the middle of a large, circular crater._

_He'd finally perfect his Kaiten, and though Tenten was proud of him, she couldn't possibly keep going at this rate. They had been at it for three hours!_

"_I can't keep this up much longer," she informed him breathlessly. "No human being could!"_

_Neji didn't answer, his eyes strangely unfocused._

_Suddenly, he lurched forward, collapsing on the ground._

"_NEJI!" Tenten cried, running towards him. "Are you alright?"_

_..._

"_What happened?" Neji asked groggily, as he pulled himself up. _

_Tenten pulled back from him, a look of relief on her features._

"_You fainted," she told him, smiling slightly when he frowned. "But you also perfected your ultimate defense!" she added brightly._

_Neji paused for a while, taking this in. He then turned to her, his white eyes boring into her brown ones._

"_Thank you, Tenten," he said sincerely._

_She grinned at him, flashing him a wink not unlike Lee's._

"_Anytime!"_

_..._

_..._

_They slowly became friends, though neither one noticed it. It was initially Gai and Lee's eccentricities which pushed them together, but Neji soon found himself genuinely liking Tenten's company. He certainly held her in high regard, respecting her as a ninja. _

_..._

_..._

"_NEJI!" Tenten shrieked, running to him and flinging her arms around his neck. _

_Neji winced slightly, the healed wound near his shoulder still throbbing slightly. _

"_You – you – you're alright!" she gasped, and Neji realized that she was shaking._

_She was crying, and somehow, that gave him a funny feeling in his chest._

_She was crying for him._

_Neji didn't push her away immediately, like he would have. He didn't hug her back either, but sat stiffly, while she hugged him._

"_I was – so worried – about you!" Tenten went on, before pulling away abruptly, remembering that Neji despised physical contact._

"_Oh – um, sorry about that," she mumbled, flushing. "I was just – scared, you know..."_

"_Don't worry," Neji croaked, speaking finally. "I'm – alright now."_

_He considered reaching out to her, holding her hand, doing something – but then decided against it. It would be too awkward._

_..._

_..._

_They ended up spending most of their time together – on missions, as well as in the village. If people found it strange, they didn't dare to comment, in fear of inciting Neji's infamous Hyuuga wrath._

_..._

_..._

"_Jounin! Great job, Neji, that's amazing!" Tenten cried, her eyes shining with pride. She made a move to hug him, but then seemed to think better of it._

"_Thank you," he said, smiling a genuine smile. "Let's go – Lee and Gai are waiting."_

"_Celebratory dinner, I suppose?" Tenten teased._

_Neji sighed._

"_Yes, I suppose so..."_

_..._

_..._

"_Calm down, Neji," Tenten said soothingly, laying her arm on the white-eyed Jounin's arm, as he glared at Lee, who had made a rather asinine comment regarding Neji's Byakugan. _

"_I will kill him," Neji said darkly. _

"_Just let it slide, will you," Tenten begged. "Don't start a fight in this restaurant! The owner already hates us after Lee wrecked it the last time!"_

"_It's not my fault the idiot can't hold his alcohol," Neji muttered, but didn't attack the boy regarding the matter._

_It was a good thing Tenten was there; her presence somehow calmed him, and Gai and Lee could be very infuriating._

_..._

_..._

"_You have about four days," Tsunade informed them, before Gai interrupted enthusiastically._

"_We shall finish it in two, my lady," he promised, his teeth glittering._

_Neji and Tenten exchanged an exasperated look._

"_NO!" Lee shouted fervently. "We shall take only ONE day!"_

_Tenten groaned, and Neji shook his head._

"_That's impossible," he spat. "It will take three days."_

"_Thank you," Tenten mouthed to him, and he nodded._

_After all, it was always up to one of them to be the voice of reason in their rather insane team._

_..._

_..._

'_Tenten's reaching her limit,' Neji thought, as he watched the brown-haired girl gasp for breath, bubbles streaming from her lips. 'I have to do something!'_

_He gathered his chakra, focusing on the weakest section._

'_Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!' Neji shouted mentally, before unleashing his attack with a fury on the water cage._

_There was a splash, and shimmering water droplets filled the air as it crashed down. _

_Neji leapt out, thrusting his hands at the water clones._

_..._

_..._

"_Tenten!" Neji asked, concern lacing his voice, as he caught the falling kunoichi in his arms. "Are you alright?"_

_They were both drenched, and she was close enough for him to see the water droplets hanging from her eyelashes._

_Tenten looked up, her wet bangs plastered across her forehead, a slightly dazed look in her eyes._

"_... Thanks, Neji," she murmured. "I owe you..."_

_He set her down, gently, his hand now resting on her lower back for support, his other hand holding her arm._

_He finally let go of her, relieved that she was okay. _

_She was still very close to him, her knee resting on his leg, and for some reason he didn't mind the physical contact, as they crouched together on the surface of the water, watching in awe as their sensei delivered his Morning Peacock attack, finishing off Kisame._

_..._

_..._

Neji tried to calm his breathing, as memories of his teammate flashed through his mind. He was surprised at how much she actually meant to him.

Though he wouldn't admit it, he probably cared about her more than anyone in the village, even his clan members.

It had been two days.

Two entire days till he'd carried her unconscious form back to Konoha. Nearly two days till they'd performed the surgery.

Neji hadn't budged from his seat outside of the door, staring at it lifelessly as he waited, waited for Tenten to get up.

Tsunade didn't know – Tenten was in coma, and Tsunade didn't know if she'd wake up. She hadn't let Neji visit her, though she'd promised him he'd be allowed today.

...

...

"Neji, Tsunade-sama says you are allowed inside," Shizune said gently.

She surveyed the boy in front of her – he looked a mess, very different from his usual confident, well-groomed appearance.

His face was unusually pale, and haggard-looking, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't gone back to the Hyuuga Compound, and Shizune doubted that he'd slept at all. His usually immaculate, silky black locks seemed to have lost their lustre, and even his white eyes were full of sadness.

Hiashi had come asking for him a day back, but Neji had refused to go back, not until Tenten awoke. Hiashi gave up on trying to convince him.

Hinata had arrived, a few hours later, timidly offering him some food she had packed, which he had reluctantly ate some of, and inquiring about Tenten.

A lot of people had come to ask about Tenten's state – most of the Konoha 11 had dropped by at least once or twice, and Lee and Gai came in every two hours or so.

Naruto even tried cheering up Neji, but to no avail.

However now, after he was finally allowed to at least _see _her, Neji's despondant expression lightened by a fraction, and he was up in a flash, walking through the doors which had remained obstinately closed to him before.

...

...

Neji's heart lurched when he saw her.

She lay silent under the pristine white sheets, her eyes shut, her dark brown lashes touching her unusually pale skin.

Neji could tell she had lost quite a lot of blood, though she was being replenished. She usually had a healthy, tanned complexion; he'd never seen her so pale and fragile-looking before.

She seemed at peace, and he could see her chest moving slightly, as she breathed. His breath caught slightly when he noticed her long, dark brown hair, which was usually tied up in two tight buns, was unbound, and fanned beneath her across the pillow, the brown locks slightly wavy.

Neji had never seen her with her hair loose before. She wore it up, even while sleeping during missions, just for the sake of practicality.

For some inexplicable reason, Neji thought she looked beautiful, like some kind of an angel, and he stared at the face which he hadn't seen for two days, the face that had haunted his thoughts.

It was strange though, seeing her so relaxed and quiet. Tenten was usually full of energy, running around, eyes sparkling, weapons perpetually moving between her nimble fingers.

Neji gazed at her peaceful form, walking towards the bed where she lay, overcome by an incomprehensible urge to just touch her, once, as if to convince himself that she was really there.

"Tenten," he breathed quietly, reaching out to touch her cheek with his fingertips. He stared at her sadly for a moment, before retracting his fingers and leaning down at her bedside.

He sat there, in silence, gazing at her, hoping that she would miraculously wake up, before Tsunade entered the room, gently ushering him out.

...

...

The next night Tsunade let Neji stay in Tenten's room. After all, she could tell the poor boy was torturing himself mentally about her condition.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Shizune asked, smiling a bit sadly, as she closed the door.

Neji had fallen asleep by Tenten's bedside, his head resting on the covers. It was the first time he'd gotten sleep at all, in the past three days.

Shizune had been surprised though, to see his hand linked with Tenten's, his fingers intertwining with the unconscious kunoichi's own.

"What's obvious?" Tsunade asked.

"He's in love with her," Shizune replied. "I can tell from the look in his eyes when he sees her..."

"In that case," Tsunade said grimly, "Let us pray that she survives. After all, Konoha cannot afford to lose two of its best shinobi."

Shizune pondered what she said for a moment, before nodding in understanding.

It was obvious, that if Tenten died, Neji would be absolutely devastated.

...

...

The first thing Tenten saw, when she awoke from a long coma, was her teammate Neji.

He was kneeling at her bedside, his head lying on the sheets, his hand holding her own.

"You're awake!" a familiar female voice said, and Tenten turned her head slightly.

Sakura was at the door, staring at her, a look of utmost relief on her features.

"I'm glad you're okay, Tenten!" she exclaimed. "You had us all really worried!"

Tenten smiled weakly at her, before Sakura nodded towards Neji.

"I think Neji was worried the most," she told Tenten. "He hasn't left the hospital ever since he carried you here, four days ago. He barely ate, and he was sitting outside this room the entire time. Tsunade-sama finally allowed him to visit you, and I think this is the first time he's slept as well..."

Tenten's heart leapt, and a warm, happy feeling flooded her senses.

Neji really cared that much about her? She was a bit shocked, but also secretly delighted.

"That's sweet," Tenten said aloud, to no one in particular.

Sakura smiled. "I'll go get Tsunade-sama," she said, exiting quickly.

Tenten slowly got up, careful not to wake the sleeping young man next to her, leaning her back against the pillows. She smiled fondly at Neji, feeling a sudden rush of affection towards her teammate, and placed a hand on his silky hair, stroking it lightly.

She tried not to feel _too _happy about the fact that he'd stayed with her the entire time, but for some reason, she couldn't help it.

...

...

When Neji woke up, the first thing he felt was a hand gently running through his long locks of hair.

He jerked his head up, eyes widening.

Tenten gave him a dazzling smile, her eyes sparkling.

"Tenten!" he gasped, the relief in his voice audible.

Tenten grinned at him.

"I'm alright now, Neji," she said softly. "Thank you for everything."

He continued to stare at her, drinking in her appearance, and Tenten felt her cheeks grow warm at his intense gaze.

"Neji, thank you for carrying me back to the vill-" she began, but stopped, abruptly, feeling a mixture of shock and delight, as Neji leaned forward, wrapping his strong arms around her, pulling her into his chest.

"D-don't ever – do that to me – again, Tenten," he was saying, his voice thick. She noticed he was trembling slightly. "I was so – worried – about you!"

Tenten was touched – she hadn't expected _Neji _of all people to be so emotional, especially over her.

"It's alright," she assured him, patting him soothingly on his back, enjoying his warmth. "I'm okay now, Neji, don't worry..."

He said nothing but pulled her closer against him, his arms tightening their hold around her. Tenten felt a funny feeling in her stomach, like butterflies were fluttering around, as well as a pleasant tingling sensation at his touch. She could smell him – a musky smell that comforted her, and she could feel his heart beating wildly, as he held her to his chest.

She relished the contact – Neji had never touched her in such an intimate way before – as he held her for a few moments, before pulling back, seemingly reluctantly.

Tenten smiled at him warmly, eyes widening when she noticed the glittering tear that was running down one perfectly sculpted cheek.

_He was crying! _

"Nejiii," she murmured affectionately, but he said nothing, leaning forward again.

Tenten's heart quickened – the tender expression in his slightly moist eyes made her feel giddy – as he moved closer.

His long hair tickled her face, and Tenten's stomach leapt as he placed a soft, gentle kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin for a moment, before he pulled away.

Tenten blushed crimson, she couldn't help it, and he continued to gaze at her with that tender expression for a few more moments.

"I'm glad you're alright," he whispered, and for once, his face was so open, and he was actually showing his emotion.

Tenten was overcome by an urge to kiss him, right on those perfectly shaped lips. She leaned forward, almost instinctively, and Neji did as well, not breaking eye contact.

Tenten's heart raced.

_We're going to kiss, _she thought deliriously. _Neji and I are going to kiss!_

...

...

"TENTEN! MY YOUTHFUL FLOWER!"

"TENTEN! YOU'VE RECOVERED!"

Two joyous shouts filled the room, shattering the moment between the two teens, and Tenten and Neji immediately moved apart.

Tenten seemed rather disappointed, and Neji looked rather murderous, his Byakugan activated as he glared at the two shinobi with an unprecedented ferocity.

The rambunctious and oblivious spandex-clad shinobi didn't notice this, however, and immediately flung themselves upon Tenten, crying out with relief.

Neji crossed his arms, and continued to glare at Gai and Lee; if looks could kill, they would have been convulsing with pain on the spot.

He brightened up slightly though, when Tenten looked over Lee's shoulder, flashing him an unusually shy smile.

He smirked back, before standing up. It was pretty obvious that Lee and Gai weren't going to leave for a while, and he hadn't eaten properly in days.

"I guess I'll see you at practice?" he asked.

"Of course," Tenten said, beaming at him.

He nodded at her, before walking out, and she stared after his retreating form, a rather adoring look in her brown eyes, a blush covering her cheeks.

...

...

_A/N – end. yeah, that's all. It's weird of me, since I usually don't end oneshots without a kiss on the lips, but somehow, I wanted to end this one here._

_They hook up, of course, not long after this incident. I think Neji and Tenten will hook up in the manga, but it will be more of the Asuma/Kurenai kind of thing, where you just suddenly realize they're dating, or pregnant, only you don't know how and when..._

_..._

_..._

-OMAKE—

"So," Naruto announced enthusiastically, microphone in hand, "Today on our show, we have _two _very special guests with us. They're shinobi, of course, and teammates. _He _is known as a natural prodigy, and an excellent shinobi, those he can be as stoic as Sasuke sometimes. _She _is called the weapon's mistress, a talented and deadly kunoichi... give it up, for Nejiii... aaand Tenten!"

There was loud applause, as, with two subsequent poofs of smoke, Neji and Tenten appeared on stage before the audience.

Tenten grinned at the applause, waving slightly, whereas Neji just looked bored, as he crossed his arms.

"Why am I here again?" he asked. "I'm a Jounin now, I'm quite busy you know..."

"Aw, shut up, you said that last time," Naruto said, rolling his blue eyes. "You know, the last time when you demanded your own Gaiden and all... you were complaining about how you don't get enough screentime! And now you have it! So quit whining!"

Neji chose not to respond to this, and Naruto continued.

"So, anyways, I have a couple questions for the both of you," he said. "From our fans. Now, firstly, is it true that you two are dating?"

"What?" Neji and Tenten spluttered, both going red.

"Th-that's ridiculous!" Neji exclaimed.

"Where the hell would you get _that _idea from?" Tenten shrieked.

"Well," Naruto said, grinning foxily. "You two are always seen together, whether just hanging out, on missions, or even training together! Isn't it true that Tenten helped you train for the Chuunin exams, Neji? And even after that?"

"Yes, we train together, so what?" Neji retorted, his blush becoming more pronounced. "That doesn't mean you assume we're dating!"

"Yes, but some fans find it rather romantic that you two have helped each other come so far, and perfected each other's jutsus," Naruto added, waggling his eyebrows.

"We're teammates!" Tenten protested, obviously embarrassed. "That's what teammates are supposed to do!"

"Well," Naruto said, smirking deviously, "You may say you're teammates, but _we _have proof that says differently... look!"

Naruto pointed to a large TV screen, which suddenly started showing a clip of Neji and Tenten.

It was the clip showing Neji catching her in his arms after the water prison scene with Kisame.

"Tenten, are you alright?" onscreen Neji asked, his voice full of concern as he gazed into her eyes.

"Thanks Neji," onscreen Tenten said softly, "I owe you..."

The real Tenten and Neji stared at this for a moment, before glancing at each other, and then immediately looking away, even more flustered than before.

"I was just – helping her out," Neji defended.

"Where did you even get that clip from?" Tenten demanded.

The clip continued to play in the background, now showing Tenten leaning slightly on Neji, as the the two sat on the water surface, watching Gai dispose of Kisame.

Naruto didn't reply, instead speaking in a teasing voice.

"I smell de-nial in the air," he spoke in a sing-song voice. "I think it was pretty evident from that clip that you two care about each other _more _than just as friends or teammates! I mean, come on, with all that intense staring and unnecessary touching... there had to be something going on..." he winked suggestively.

Neji and Tenten seemed exceedingly agitated now, and the blush was still visible on their face. Their eyes met again, hardening slightly, and they nodded at each other.

"And come on, we all know Neji uses that Byakugan of his for some _pretty _naughty purposes," Naruto continued obliviously, as Tenten removed a scroll, and Neji fell into his fighting stance behind him, said Byakugan activated.

"TWIN RISING DRAGONS!"

"EIGHT TRIGRAM SIXTY-FOUR PALM!"

"Hey – what?" Naruto screeched, turning around, eyes widening as Neji sped towards him, his hands moving rapidly, and Tenten leapt up, sending a fusillade of shining weapons at him.

"AAARGH! YOU GUYS! I WAS KIDDING!" Naruto shouted, as he suffered their furious onslaught.

A few moments later, he crashed to the ground, completely knocked out.

Neji and Tenten glared at him for a moment in the background before disappearing simultaneously in two clouds of smoke.

...

...

_A/N 2 – heee. fun. I love those omake! and i hope they DO make a neji gaiden! review please!_


	8. NejiTen: Maito Gai's Youthful Training

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto_

_A/N – This was inspired by Naruto Shippuuden Episode 100 and Gai's insane training methods. It shows him tying Lee and Tenten together to get them to coordinate their taijutsu, which doesn't work. But that gave me a little idea, and so here's a Team Gai-centric fic for you all ;)_

_And of course, there is some (subtle, or not so subtle) Nejiten ;)_

…

…

…

**Maito Gai's Youthful Training Method # 7 – Tied-up Taijutsu**

…

"Can we stop?" Tenten gasped, breathing heavily. "I'm reaching my limit!"

"Tenten!" Lee cried passionately, "We're just getting started!"

He jumped up, whirling around, sending a few kicks into the air.

Tenten struggled against him, trying to kick out as well, but they weren't quite in sync, and she ended up being pulled around by him instead.

"Agh – Lee! Stop it! Aaaaaaaah!" Tenten shrieked, as Lee crouched down, leaving her flailing on his back.

Lee jumped up again, spinning around and kicking, dragging poor Tenten with him.

Gai, in one of his ingenious training methods, had tied Lee and Tenten together that morning, back to back, with rope, to try and get them to coordinate their taijutsu.

It wasn't working well, that much was obvious.

"LEEEEE!" Tenten wailed, limbs flailing wildly.

"Lee!" Gai barked. "You are not in harmony with Tenten at all!"

Lee stopped moving for a moment, hearing the kunoichi tied to him panting heavily.

"Oh no!" Lee cried, "Tenten is breathing hard! I must synchronize my movements with hers!"

"A brilliant deduction, my youthful pupil!" Gai shouted, his teeth sparkling, "You make me proud, Lee! Now both of you, get ready to fight with the full power of youth! I am going to attack you, and I will not hold back! You must defend against me!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted. He would have shot him a thumbs up, but his arms were currently tied along with Tenten's to his side.

"Can't we – take a break!" Tenten exclaimed, panicking, "We've been at this for five hours!"

"Tenten!" Lee cried, sounding mortified, "How could you suggest that?"

"You must not let that come in the way of your youth, my flower!" Gai agreed.

_Ugh, two against one, this is unfair! _Tenten thought. _Where's Neji when I need him? _

The shinobi in question was actually on a solo Jounin mission. Though he made Jounin, he continued to train and take missions with his old team. However, on a few rare occasions he as given Jounin missions, and missed the practices.

Which generally meant Tenten, the sole remaining voice of reason, without Neji to back her up, went through hell.

"I can't keep up with all your damn showboating, Lee!" Tenten retorted.

"Do not worry, Tenten," Lee assured her, "I will match my speed to yours, and we will prevail!"

"Well spoken, Lee!"

"But – this is ridiculous – and literally impossible!"

"TENTEN! MY FLOWER! WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOUR BURNING YOUTH?"

"Let her be, she's right, this _is _getting ridiculous," a soft, slightly condescending voice interrupted.

"NEJI!" Tenten screamed, sounding immensely relieved. "Brilliant timing!"

The white-eyed shinobi, who'd just returned from his Jounin mission smirked slightly at her, before turning back to Lee and Gai.

"Untie her already," he said sternly, "Can't you see she's exhausted? Anyone would be, trying to keep up with Lee. What kind of training method is this anyway?"

"Neji, this _is _brilliant timing," Gai said happily.

Neji raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Since Tenten is so tired, and you have come, why don't you take her place, and relieve her! After all, Lee still has a lot of energy in him!"

"Yosh!" Lee shouted, "What a youthful idea!"

Neji stared at them both for a few moments, his white eyes narrowing.

"_Hell _no!"

…

Tenten clasped a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle.

Neji seemed to catch it, and glared at her from the corner of his eye.

_You owe me, _his glare stated, she could tell.

She appreciated him sticking up for her, but it's not like he could blame _her _for this mortification, could she? Well, it was Neji; he probably would.

Still, Tenten couldn't help but giggle, as Lee attempted another roundhouse kick, dragging an infuriated Neji with him.

"You moron!" Neji snarled, attempting to gain his balance, "I'm not as fast as you!"

"Sorry, Neji," Lee apologized, immediately slowing his moves to a comical slow-motion. "I have decreased my speed for your sake."

Neji's eyebrow twitched as he regained his footing.

"I'm not _that _slow either, baka," he hissed, attempting to thrust his leg out. It didn't really serve and purpose, for Lee chose that moment to lurch his body backwards.

"Come on, boys!" Gai scolded, "You two make a worse pair than Lee and Tenten! Neji! It saddens me that neither you nor Tenten can keep up with Lee!"

"How's it _our _fault, he's abnormally fast!" Neji spat, and even Tenten scowled at this blatant favouritism.

"Well, maybe if you and Tenten had taken my advice from years ago and worn the-"

"HELL NO!"

This time, both Neji and Tenten shouted out at the same time, before Gai could even complete his sentence.

"Don't try that trick on us," Neji hissed.

"We're _never _wearing that hideous spandex!" Tenten affirmed.

"Your loss," Gai said sadly, turning to Lee instead.

"Lee," he said sternly, "I am _so _disappointed in you. Your teamwork skills are – _abysmal! _How do you expect to help Neji and Tenten if you can't even _fight _with them properly! I don't know _what to do with you three!_"

"You _could _untie us," Neji suggested sarcastically. "Especially when my Gentle Fist, being a gentle _fist, _requires me to use my _hands_. Which are currently tied. And Tenten can't just spit weapons out of her mouth."

"… that sounds like a good idea, don't you agree, Tenten?" Gai said thoughtfully, Neji's heavily sardonic tone obviously lost on him.

"NO!" Tenten cried, "He was being sarcastic!"

"This is unyouthful!" Lee cried, leaping up, obviously intending to strike one of his 'Good guy' poses.

Bad idea.

Neji, who was tied back to back with him, was yanked up at the same time, and since they're leg movements were completely uncoordinated, they crashed together to the ground.

This time, Tenten really couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, ignoring Neji's frigid glare.

…

Tenten breathed heavily, trying to calm her pounding heart.

This was – awkward, to say the least.

Being tied to Lee, had been uncomfortable, but not so bad, since she practically considered him a brother.

But being tied back to back with Neji – the boy she had a massive _crush _on – being tied to him, so that every inch of her back, her legs, were pressed against his, so that their hands were brushing, so that she could feel his long hair tickling the back of her neck, and she could hear his breathing, smell his musky smell – _that _was _extremely _awkward, and Tenten felt a blush creeping into her cheeks.

Neji was silent. Tenten wondered if he was as embarrassed as her.

He usually hated physical contact, or at least he gave that impression, though since Gai had forced him to do it with Lee as well, so it's not like either of them had a choice.

"I shouldn't have come here," Neji muttered, "I should have gone straight home after that damn mission!"

"Well – thanks for coming," Tenten offered weakly, finding it weird to talk to him without actually being able to see his face. Though he probably could see her, since his Byakugan allowed him to see through both their heads. "I mean – if it weren't for you, I'd probably still be stuck to Lee…"

"As if this is any better?" he asked, and Tenten flushed. That had come out totally wrong.

"Why'd you come, anyway?" she asked, changing the topic.

"To meet you," he said simply, and her heart gave a little flutter.

"I had an idea that those two immature morons would be making you suffer without me," he said, and Tenten couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yeah, well…. thanks again…" she sighed.

"Neji! Tenten!" Gai commanded, "Why are you standing still like that! You must attack, with the full force of your youth!"

"Neji…" Tenten began tentatively.

"Yeah," he sighed as well, his tone growing exasperated. "Let's get this over with."

Somehow, since their speeds and strength were similar, at least in comparison to Lee, they managed it a bit better than Neji and Lee, or Lee and Tenten.

Of course, they were still stumbling slightly, when one of them had different footing than the other, their upper bodies rather uncoordinated as well.

Unfortunately, their relative success seemed to encourage Gai.

"Excellent job, Neji and Tenten!" he praised, "You two make a good pair! Your bodies move in perfect harmony with one another, it is a beautiful sight to behold!"

Both Neji and Tenten flushed at the implications of this, but remained silent.

"However," Gai said, "I notice your upper bodies are still rather uncoordinated… but worry not, I have the perfect solution!"

Neither of them said anything, waiting for him to continue.

"You must hold hands!" Gai finished.

"…"

"… huh?" Tenten asked, feigning confusion, though her stomach was actually leaping excitedly of holding hands with Neji.

"Hold hands, hold hands!" Gai urged, "It will help you tremendously!"

"Um…" Tenten began, but bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

She could feel Neji's Byakugan glaring at Gai from the back of his head, and hers as well.

"Fine," Neji grunted, and Tenten was surprised when she felt his warm hands reach back, his slender fingers slipping through her own.

"Come on, Tenten," he muttered, squeezing her hands, and she curled her fingers around his as well, savouring the feeling of their entwined hands.

"I'll jump forward and spin clockwise on the count of three, okay," Neji murmured.

"O-okay," Tenten replied, trying to fight the crimson blush that was now quite pronounced on her cheeks.

"One… two… three!"

Neji jumped forward, and Tenten kicked out, before he spun around. Gai just managed to jump back, dodging her leg.

"Down, Tenten!" Neji yelled, and Tenten placed both her feet on the ground, crouching slightly as she turned, allowing Neji to swing his leg at their sensei.

"Neji, block!" she shrieked, jumping up, as Gai's other leg flew at her face. Neji twisted them around mid-air, blocking Gai's leg with his own, before they managed to land, albeit unsteadily. Neji crouched down, dashing forwards before spinning around again, and this time, Tenten's foot brushed Gai's unblocked chest.

"VERY GOOD!" Gai boomed loudly, before attacking, this time with his fist.

He soon beat them. Neji and Tenten, though they had good teamwork, wouldn't be able to fight Maito Gai, the taijutsu master, when tied together, and deprived of their usual jutsu.

Still, when they finally collapsed together on the ground, sweat-drenched back's pressed together, Neji's hands still clasping her own tightly, Tenten decided, that maybe Gai-sensei's training techniques weren't _that _bad after all…

…

…

**Maito Gai's Youthful Training Method # 34 – Omote Renge: Soshoryu Kaiten**

aka **Primary Lotus: Twin Dragon Heavenly Spin**

…

"… you want us to _what_?"

Tenten was the first of the trio to recover from her shock, when Gai announced what their new training goal would be.

A combined attack, using all three of their signature techniques. Namely –

"Primary lotus…" Neji said slowly, looking at Lee as he gritted his teeth, "…Twin Dragon…" he continued, turning to Tenten, "Heavenly Spin," he concluded, raising an eyebrow.

His voice was disbelieving. Tenten didn't blame him.

"It sounds great, but that's – physically impossible," she pointed out.

They turned to Lee, expecting an explosion.

Right on cue, they got one.

"WHAT A YOUTHFUL IDEA, GAI-SENSEI!" Lee screamed, eyes burning with flames. "AN AMALGAMATION OF OUR SKILLS AND TEAMWORK! NEJI, TENTEN AND MYSELF! WE WILL BE UNSTOPPABLE! INVINCIBLE!"

"I'm glad you see it like that, Lee," Gai beamed at him, shooting him a thumbs up.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Tenten and Neji exchanged a horrified glance.

"It's not going to work," Neji said quickly, interrupting what would soon suddenly transmogrify into a youth-fest with a sunset and crashing waves.

"Of course it will work!" Gai shouted, "In fact, I got the idea from _you _Neji!"

"I shouldn't have done that," Neji muttered, shaking his head as he remembered the time he'd instructed Lee to use primary lotus on him. He'd used his heavenly spin, or Kaiten at the same time, and the combined attack had turned into a whirling missile with devastating effects.

"This is all _your _fault, Neji," Tenten hissed, "_You _gave him the idea!"

"… oh, be quiet!" he shot back, looking slightly disgusted with himself.

"Now, we already know Neji and Lee can combine their jutsus," Gai said loudly, "So half the job is done! All we need now, is to get Tenten to combine her jutsu with both Neji and Lee! And then the three of you can try them together!"

"Suicidal," Neji said, shaking his head.

"Gai-sensei," Tenten piped up, "Neji and I can already do combined jutsus. We've done it before."

"Really?" Gai asked, sounding impressed. "Please demonstrate – for some reason, I've never seen this!"

"It was on one of those two-man missions," Neji muttered, and seeing there was no way they could get out of this one, he fell into his defensive stance.

He looked meaningfully at Tenten who nodded, pulling out a scroll. She bit her finger, and wiped it against the paper, unfurling it, before standing with her back to Neji's.

She slid her arms through his, locking their elbows together.

"Ready?" Neji asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright – Eight Trigrams, Palm Rotation!" Neji cried, and began spinning him around, Tenten spinning along with him.

Soon, a large spherical dome of chakra had encapsulated them both, and a loud whirring noise filled the air.

Tenten's cry could be heard from inside.

"Twin rising dragons, weapon manipulation!" she cried, and suddenly a barrage of weapons shot out of the rotating dome.

They were reinforced with Neji's chakra as they broke out, and were unleashed in all directions. It was a deadly attack, as useful as Neji and Lee's combination – the ultimate offense and defense; Neji's Kaiten formed an impenetrable wall, from which Tenten could incessantly fire her deadly weapons.

"BEAUTIFUL!" Gai cheered when they stopped, extricating themselves from one another.

"That was amazing!" Lee shouted, clapping excitedly. "I cannot wait till we collaborate all our moves!"

Neji smirked slightly, and even Tenten looked triumphant.

"The only disadvantage though," Gai said, "Is that you are stationary, with Neji rotating around one single spot. Of course, Lee, my handsome pupil, will amend that, won't you Lee?"

"Of course!" Lee shouted, "Come on Tenten! Time for Primary Lotus: Twin Rising Dragons!"

…

Tenten and Lee's combo was effective as well; Lee spun her around rapidly, while she shot out weapons in all directions. They barrelled to the ground at an inhuman speed, the weapons moving with a great momentum.

When they stopped though, Tenten was clutching at her head.

"Damn," she said breathlessly, "That was fast – I'm dizzy…"

"Sorry," Lee muttered apologetically, "But the spinning is kind of required, and I thought you'd be used to it with Neji…"

"Don't worry," Tenten said, smiling brightly. "You're just a lot faster than he is, that's all. But that was actually fun, you know!" she giggled.

Neji's white eyes narrowed.

_You found THAT fun, Tenten? _He wondered, slightly annoyed for some reason. He dismissed it though.

…

"I still don't get how this will work," Tenten mumbled.

"It is simple," Gai explained. "You and Neji jump into the air, Lee comes behind you two and wraps you in bandages, and uses Primary Lotus on you. In the meanwhile, Neji used his Heavenly Spin, except without the spinning, since Lee will be doing that for you, and you do your Twin Rising Dragons – without the spinning as well – and you'll be falling rather than rising, but still, it's the theory of the thing."

"It – makes sense technically," Tenten said doubtfully, "But somehow it doesn't seem – feasible."

"I agree," Neji said.

"Well, what better way to find out than try, right?" Gai suggested.

Neji and Tenten both glowered at him.

…

"Okay, so on the count of three, we both jump up," Tenten said, still sounding dubious.

"Ridiculous," she heard Neji mutter behind her. "And – I still don't get why _I _have to be in the middle."

"Well, Lee can't be for obvious reasons," she retorted, "Since he has to tie _us _together. And _I'm _a girl, so it would be just _wrong _for me to be sandwiched between two boys."

"I thought you follow the ideology that men and woman are equals?" Neji asked.

"That's – completely off topic!" Tenten replied. "Forget it Neji, you're staying in the middle."

"Hn," he sounded rather annoyed.

"One… two… three!"

Neji and Tenten both leapt up simultaneously into the air, before flipping upside down. Any moment now, Lee would appear behind Neji, and tie them together in his bandages.

They waited.

And waited.

And waited.

CRASH!

"DAMNIT! LEE!" Tenten hollered, rubbing her head as she stood up, from the small crater that had resulted after her hard impact.

"You _moron_," Neji spat, clutching his head as well, "I swear if I get a concussion because of this…"

"Why didn't you – tie us up? You were supposed to come behind us?" Tenten demanded.

"I'm sorry," Lee said, looking genuinely apologetic. "But you and Neji were too far apart – I couldn't get my bandages around you both. Not to mention, you jumped at different speeds, with different amounts of force, so you were higher up than he was, and it was impossible!"

"We should just give this up," Neji grumbled, standing up. "We _told _you it wouldn't work!"

"If you have that attitude, Neji," Gai boomed, "Nothing will ever work! Come on, Team, try again! Let me see the fires of YOUTH that burn within you!"

"YES GAI-SENSEI! THIS TIME WE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU!"

"…yeah…"

"…whatever…"

…

"On the count of three," Tenten said dully, "And this time, if he doesn't catch us, I'm flipping back over, I swear."

"Hm," Neji said in acquiescence.

"One… two… what are you doing Neji?" Tenten cried, her voice unusually high-pitched.

Her stomach fluttered wildly, and she could feel herself heating up, as two hands came to rest at her hips. Neji's hands.

"Holding you so that we don't get separated, and jump the same distance," he said matter-of-factly, though Tenten could detect a trace of amusement in his baritone voice.

"Oh – okay…" she said, and suddenly, the breath left her lungs as he leapt up without warning, his hands tight on her hips, taking her with him.

_This could actually work, _Tenten thought, as she saw Lee leap charge towards them from the corner of her eye.

Suddenly, Neji pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, and Tenten's heart nearly stopped.

His arms were tightly around her, and she could feel his breath on her neck, and she was pressed against his chest and could feel his muscles rippling against her.

_This is even better than the time Gai tied us together, _Tenten thought dreamily, a warm, tingling feeling flooding through her body.

She felt the bandages, being wrapped around her and Neji, before the spinning sensation entered her head again. Everything blurred around her, and she could only feel Neji's hard torso against her own, as they plummeted downwards, spinning rapidly, the air rushing past their faces.

She could barely hear Lee's cry of 'Lotus!' as the wind rushed past her ears.

She could feel Neji's heartbeat – was she imagining things, or was it slightly faster than was normal? It probably was; Lee's attacks did that to you… it was probably because of adrenaline…

She heard Lee shout out something, and could feel them slowing down, changing direction all of a sudden, but before she could do anything, she hit the ground forcefully.

"AARGH!"

"OUCH!"

"UHHH!"

"Lee! Tenten! Neji! Are you alright?"

…

The three shinobi extricated themselves from the tangle of limbs, where they'd landed rather ungracefully together after the attack.

"What – the hell happened?" Neji asked dazedly, rubbing his eyes.

"My head – is throbbing," Tenten groaned.

"Why didn't – you two – attack?" Lee asked.

"Huh?" Neji and Tenten turned to him.

"It was all going perfectly!" Lee cried, "I wrapped you in my bandages, and performed my Lotus on you! But then – Neji didn't emit any chakra, and Tenten, you didn't use your weapons? Why not? And then when we reached the ground, I slowed down and yelled at you to jerk backwards, so I could flip you over and we could land safely – but neither of you did!"

"…sorry," Tenten muttered sheepishly, "It was just – kind of overwhelming, with your speed."

In reality, she'd been too distracted by Neji's proximity; but there was no way she was going to admit that.

"Yes, it was difficult to concentrate when you were spinning us around like that," Neji agreed, and Tenten was slightly surprised.

Neji hadn't attacked either? Which meant he'd lost focus – this was odd, since Neji _never _lost focus or failed to do an attack.

"But – both of you were fine when you practiced alone with me," Lee pointed out. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing!" Neji and Tenten said together, quickly.

They looked at each other for a moment, both surprised to see the other blushing, and then turned away.

"Let's try again," Tenten suggested, "Since we'll know exactly what to expect this time…"

"Hn."

"Okay!"

"That's the spirit, my dear pupils! The fire of youth burns strong!"

…

"Ready?" Neji whispered, his breath brushing Tenten's ear.

She shivered, stomach leaping again as his warm arms wrapped around her waist, his hands resting at her stomach.

"Y-yeah," she murmured, reaching for a scroll.

Neji leapt up again, and Lee was soon behind them, wrapping them in bandages. Though Tenten was still intoxicated from Neji's closeness, she was more alert this time, and the moment Lee began to spin them around, she readied her weapons.

"Primary lotus-" Lee yelled.

"Twin dragon-" Tenten continued.

"Palm rotation!" Neji finished with a shout.

They hurtled downwards, and Tenten felt a tingling feeling, as Nej emitted chakra from his body, and it swirled around them. She looped her kunai around her fingers, hurling them out, as fast as she could, her head spinning slightly as they zoomed down.

A few seconds later, she felt a sharp tug, and realizing that the ground was nearby, jerked back. They flipped over, mid-air, and landed on their feet this time, though a bit ungracefully.

The three of them breathed heavily for a moment, before Lee began to unravel the bandages holding Neji and Tenten together. Tenten could still feel his muscular arms, wrapped securely around her waist under the bandages.

"We… did it," she whispered, disbelievingly.

"Yeah, we did…" Neji said, just as softly.

"Yosh! Our teamwork was flawless this time!" Lee cheered, shooting them both a thumbs up.

"That was – that was MAGNIFICENT!" Gai sobbed, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks. "Team dinner in celebration, right now!" he added breathlessly. "It's my treat! You three _deserve _it!"

…

…

**Maito Gai's Youthful Training Method # 22 – Jutsu Swapping**

…

"It won't work," Neji said immediately. "Lee and Tenten don't possess the Byakugan."

"Tenten and Neji are not fast enough," Lee said sorrowfully.

"And Neji and Lee don't have weapon scrolls, not to mention, my attacks can be pretty risky if the user doesn't have 100% aim!" Tenten added.

"That can be remedied," Gai said quickly. "Tenten, you can just lend your scrolls to Neji and Lee for a while-"

Tenten looked horrified at the prospect of giving up her _beloved _weapons.

"But-" she began protesting, but Gai continued.

"Neji, I think Tenten and Lee _can _learn you taijutsu style without the Byakugan. Are you implying that you're completely useless without your dojutsu?"

Neji's enraged expression at this was priceless, said dojutsu activating involuntarily, as he clenched his fists.

"And about the speed," Gai said thoughtfully, "Lee does have a point there. However, I _know _that your speeds _will _improve exponentially, if you just wear-"

"NOT THE SPANDEX!" Tenten and Neji shouted together.

"_Don't _go there. Just don't," Neji warned.

"We've told you before, we're _not _going to, not now, not ever!" Tenten declared passionately.

"Alright," Gai said melancholically, hanging his head. "You two will never understand…"

"No, I don't think we ever will," Neji agreed. "Can we just get back to – normal training?" he asked, a bit frustrated.

"Yeah," Tenten said, smiling sweetly, "Neji and I will just get back to our little spar, and you two can try out this – new youthful training method!"

A slight spasm crossed Neji's face at the word 'youthful'.

"Traitor," he hissed, a rather betrayed look on his face.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Don't ever say that word again. Coming from you – it's just too weird," he informed her.

"Don't be silly!" she shot back.

"TEAM!" Gai bellowed, "ATTENTION!"

"Yes sir!" Lee shouted, stamping his foot and saluting.

Neji and Tenten winced, before looking at their sensei, identically exasperated expressions on their faces.

"We are going to use each other's battle techniques, and that is final!" Gai said, "It will help foster understanding between you as teammates, and aid you in battle. Not to mention it will strengthen your BONDS!"

"How inspiring," Lee whispered, clearly inspired.

"Tch, fine," Neji muttered. "I'm using weapons then. I'm _not _doing Lee's crazy taijutsu."

"Then I shall master the Gentle Fist!" Lee announced, raising his own fist.

"And I – I guess I'll do Lee's taijutsu then," Tenten conceded, shrugging.

She didn't mind so much, since her taijutsu style resembled Lee's more than Neji's. She was also slightly flattered that Neji had picked her fighting style, and a bit relieved. She didn't want Lee flinging her precious weapons around, and though she didn't want Neji doing that either, she was certain he'd be more careful than Lee. Not to mention, she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Neji while she tried copying his technique.

"Alright!" Gai said. "You will practice each other's techniques for an hour. Feel free to help your teammate out if they are doing your technique wrongly. After an hour, you will all switch!"

_Damn, _Tenten groaned inwardly, _I'll have to make a fool of myself in front of Neji trying to mimic his damn Gentle Fist anyway._

…

…

"EIGHT TRIGRAMS PAAAAALM ROTATIONNNNNN!" Lee screamed, before he began to spin around at an inhuman speed.

Nothing happened.

Neji watched rather disdainfully, and Tenten giggled.

"He is _butchering _my clan's techniques," Neji muttered.

"Not to mention, it's completely useless since he can't emit chakra like you," Tenten added.

Lee stopped spinning, beaming at Neji.

"How was that, my Eternal Rival? Am I not a natural at the Gentle Fist?"

Neji coughed slightly in response.

"Now, I shall do your next signature move," Lee announced, spreading his legs, and stretching his arms out, one nearly parallel to the ground, and the other stretched downwards.

Neji made a noise of disgust, and Tenten smiled.

It looked rather odd, seeing Lee in Neji's usual stance. It didn't suit him at all.

"EIGHT TRIGRAMS! SIXTY-FOUR PAAAALMS!" Lee shrieked, and Tenten was sure that no Hyuuga had ever yelled it out with such passion and volume in their voices.

Neji shook his head, though he was smirking slightly.

Lee looked absolutely ludicrous performing the jutsu. He didn't have the grace and elegance that Neji did, and though he was extremely fast, he flashed from one position to another, looking rather inebriated as he randomly slashed his hands about, poking at the air, shouting the entire time, like he'd seen Neji do.

"TWO PALMS! FOUR PALMS! HAHAHA, THIS IS AMAZING! EIGHT PALMS! SIXTEEN PALMS! THIRTY-TWO PALMS! AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT THE LEAST, SIXTY-FOUR PALMS! YOSH!"

Neji's mortified expression was priceless, and Tenten soon fell on the floor, shaking from uncontrollable laughter, at both Lee's antics, and at Neji's face.

…

Tenten wasn't such a disaster; she could perform some of Lee's techniques already, such as Dynamic Entry, and managed to pick up his Leaf Whirlwind pretty quickly, though she wasn't as fast or strong as he was.

There was noway she was going to attempt the Lotus. Gai had tried teaching it to all three of them years ago, but only Lee had managed, leaving Tenten and Neji lying exhausted on the ground, with a couple sprains and broken bones. Gai never tried teaching either of them the technique after that.

Neji wasn't doing a bad job himself. Tenten had refused to give him her scrolls, and Neji didn't seem to think that was good idea either. So she'd summoned him a katana and nunchuks.

He was pretty adept at both, and particularly good with the katana, slashing it around gracefully as he leapt from one position to another. He was using her weapon, but she noticed his movements were similar to the Hyuuga fighting stance; it was a pretty effective combination in the end.

His aim, though very good, wasn't perfect, and it bugged Tenten to see her weapons missing their bulls-eye mark.

"You're holding it wrong," she informed him, marching up to him.

Neji stared at her incredulously.

"You're holding it wrong," Tenten repeated, reaching up and quickly rearranging his fingers, nudging them slightly until she was satisfied.

"There," she said.

He didn't reply, and she looked up to see he was staring at her, his white eyes soft. Then she also realized that her fingers were still on his, and that she was standing quite close to him.

"Well, that's done!" Tenten said quickly, jumping away. "You can try now, it's bound to get closer to the target!"

Neji did, flinging the kunai forward.

It didn't hit the bulls-eye, but it was pretty damn close.

"See!" Tenten said triumphantly.

"Thanks," Neji said, smiling slightly at her.

His smile gave her butterflies.

…

"TIME UP!" Gai shouted, "SWITCH!"

"Crap," Tenten muttered to herself, as Lee bounded excitedly over to Neji, grabbing her weapons.

Neji looked rather unenthusiastic, as he began attempting Lee's moves. He was pretty good, like Tenten had been, though it looked just _wrong _on him. Neji's style was graceful, and elegant, with lots of spinning, and arm actions. Lee's included lots of leaping around and kicking, and though Neji pulled it off well, he looked slightly out of place.

Lee was pretty good with the nunchuks as well, having used the particular weapon before. Tenten didn't let him use the katana, in fear that he'd stab himself, stab her or Neji, or possible scratch the beautiful, gleaming metal. She gave him her staff instead, and her fears were proved correct a few moments later.

"LEE! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING THAT DAMN THING!" Tenten shouted, as Neji fell to his knees, eyes screwed shut in pain.

"I'm so sorry, Neji!" Lee cried repentantly. "In punishment for what I did to you, I will do 500 push-ups!"

"Just – forget it," Neji gasped, doubling over, where the staff at hit him in the stomach.

When he sparred with Tenten, she usually made sure her weapons never hit him, but just brushed past his skin.

And Lee was _strong. _

"Good thing - you took the katana - away," he told Tenten, cracking open an eye. "He'd have sliced me to pieces…"

"Why didn't you dodge, though?" Tenten asked, her eyes wide with concern, as she bent down next to him.

"… didn't see it coming," Neji admitted after awhile. "My Byakugan wasn't on. Didn't think I'd need it…"

"Are you going to be okay?" Tenten asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine, Tenten."

…

…

_This is ridiculous, _Tenten thought, as she began to spin as fast as she could, her arms stretched out before her.

A few minutes later, she stopped, feeling exceedingly foolish.

Neji was watching her, obviously holding back a smile.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," Tenten told him sarcastically. "Thanks, Neji, really. How do you do this freaking thing without getting dizzy? I feel like a moron!"

Neji smirked, not bothering to contradict her.

"…I'll have to agree with you on that," he said after a moment.

"Neji," Tenten seethed, blushing crimson. "It's not _my _fault I don't have a Byakugan and your technique is completely useless without it! Heck, it looks more like a _dance form _than taijutsu, seriously!"

He glared at her, and Tenten bit her lip, realizing her mistake.

"I mean – when other people – do it that is," she corrected. "It's completely different for you Hyuuga shinobi, of course."

"Don't waste your time on the Kaiten," he said after awhile. "It's a technique even most Main Family members cannot do."

"I know that," Tenten said, rolling her eyes. "The only reason I'm attempting is because Gai-sensei's making me!"

"… try the Gentle Fist," he suggested.

"What, so you can be entertained?" she fired, "No thanks."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Come _on _Neji, it's the _gentle _fist. It's going to be harmless without the Byakugan, and without tenketsu, chakra and all that! I'll just make a fool of myself again…"

"You could try the positions… just to appease Gai," he told her.

"You're deriving too much enjoyment from my mortification, aren't you?"

"Hn."

"Fine…" Tenten huffed, "But _don't _laugh!"

…

"NEJI! STOP IT! IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!"

Tenten couldn't remain angry at him for long though, her eyes softening, as she watched him, laughing silently. She'd _never _seen him laugh before, and Tenten really like the sight. And he was so _handsome _when he smiled like that.

"I'm sorry," he said, eyes twinkling with mirth. "But you – you've got the positions all wrong! It looks so – _weird_!"

"…whatever. I'd like to see _you _try Twin Rising Dragons, Neji," Tenten pouted slightly, her tone a bit sulky. His eyes softened at this and he smiled at her, almost tenderly.

"I bet you'd dismember yourself," Tenten ranted.

"I'm sure I would," he humoured her.

"Whatever. Go away, so I can practice your stupid technique in peace."

…

"Your stance is slightly wrong," a soft voice murmured in her ear.

Tenten jumped, heart pounding wildly.

"Dear God, Neji, don't sneak up on me like that!" she exclaimed.

"…sorry. You need to bend down more though," he told her.

Tenten rolled her eyes; it was obvious he wasn't going to move, so she fell into his stance, as best as she could.

She nearly jumped again, when she felt his hands on her hips, adjusting her position slightly. He nudged the inside of her foot with his own, correcting her leg spacing, before placing his hands on her arms, shifting them a little.

Tenten could have sworn her heart had stopped when he was touching her.

"There, perfect," Neji said, and she could _feel _rather than hear his voice, as it whispered across her neck.

He stepped back, finally, and walked over in front of her, nodding, apparently satisfied.

"Happy?" Tenten grumbled, attempting to calm her racing heart.

Neji smirked.

"You – you almost look like a Hyuuga," he said truthfully.

_I wish, _Tenten thought.

…

"Now, we will have one on one battling," Gai instructed.

"Finally," Tenten said. She was really itching for her weapons.

"But you will be using each other's techniques!" Gai finished.

"…"

"…"

"Yosh! This will be fun!"

…

Neji beat Lee.

It was pretty obvious he would, since Gentle Fist was useless without chakra and the Byakugan, neither of which Lee could use.

Neji was already adept at taijutsu, so it was just adapting to another style for him, and he managed pretty well.

Tenten wished she could have recorded the battle though.

Lee had been hilarious, spinning around, his fingers jutting out, as he bellowed out his attacks, in a very bad imitation of Neji.

Neji's expression had been one of disgust throughout the battle.

"My rival!" Lee wept, "You have defeated me! I will run 500 laps around Konoha, and practice the Gentle Fist everyday until I manage to defeat you, Neji! It's a promise."

Neji stared at him, at a loss of words.

"Lee, that isn't necessary!" Tenten said, moving in to console the poor boy. "It's impossible for you to do Neji's attack, without the Byakugan. Just focus on your own techniques, don't bother with the Gentle Fist! It doesn't suit you anyway!"

"… you are right, Tenten! Thank you for your wise words!"

"Hehe, you're welcome, I guess!"

"Lee, Tenten," Gai directed, "You two are up next!"

…

"LEE! Stop it! You're swinging it wrong! LEE! YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK IT!"

"Hahaha! I burn with the fire of youth! This weapon in my hand, and makes me feel YOUNG!"

"Lee do _not _bang it around like that! DO NOT-"

CRACK.

Silence…

"I am SO sorry Tenten, I swear I'll buy you a new one…"

"ROCK LEE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

…

"Damnit!" Tenten cursed, leaping up and narrowly avoiding a blow from her _own _weapon.

Neji picked up things fast, and he was pretty skilled at this too.

_Damn him for being so bloody perfect, _she thought.

Neji closed in on her again, the nunchuks whizzing lethally over his head. Gentle Fist would be useless, of course since she couldn't actually use it.

Tenten whirled around, avoiding the attack, but since it was _his _technique, Neji expected this, and twisted the nunchaks around last moment.

Tenten ducked, just managing to miss them, before jumping back again.

She had no choice but to defend.

"Give up?" he asked smugly, as she flipped backwards to avoid a hit.

"It's not my fault your technique is so useless without chakra," she hissed at him, her teeth gritted.

His eyes flashed, and he swung the nunchuks again.

_This is getting redundant, _Tenten thought. Neji's technique, though she could now perform the movements, was only visually appealing when performed by a non-Hyuuga, nothing else.

"I'm sick of this," Tenten muttered, and when Neji rounded on her again, she switched to one of Lee's moves.

"Leaf Spinning Wind!"

THUMP.

Tenten grinned triumphantly, as her foot connected.

The grin faded a moment later, as Neji collapsed on his knees, an agonized expression on his face.

"Oh _no!_" Tenten gasped, realizing what she'd done. "Neji I am _so SO _sorry!"

…

"Neji, I'm really, _really _sorry, I didn't mean to – to hit you," Tenten squealed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Really Neji, I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

She shook him, but he didn't respond, but continued to bite his lip.

He then turned, glaring at her slightly, wincing.

"It's – fine," Neji panted.

"Tenten!" Gai scolded, "You used Lee's technique! That was cheating – I don't think Neji would have expected it!"

"I – didn't," Neji supplied, his voice strained.

"That was a great move, Tenten!" Lee said cheerfully, deriving pleasure from the fact that Neji had been beaten with one of _his _moves. He then frowned slightly. "Though you – should have aimed elsewhere. Are you okay Neji?"

"Do I –look okay?" Neji gasped, scowling from where he was curled up on the grass.

"I didn't mean to! Neji I'm so sorry!" Tenten shrieked.

"Your loss, Tenten," Gai said sadly.

Tenten didn't notice the slight smirk that crossed Neji's face when he said this.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she demanded, blushing heavily. "Why would it be my – god, _no_…"

"Great job Tenten," Neji spoke, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You just ruined yo- _my_ chance at ever having kids."

He bit his lip, hoping she hadn't noticed his hastily corrected slip-up.

_I hope I didn't really – make him infertile, _Tenten thought frantically, a sudden image of white-eyed, brown haired kids scampering around holding little scrolls and kunai flashing in her mind.

_I hope she didn't really – make me infertile, _Neji thought, slightly panicked, a sudden image of white-eyed brown haired kids scampering around holding little scrolls and kunai flashing in his mind.

Fortunately for both of them, Neji _wasn't _infertile; just in a _lot _of pain.

"Sorry…" Tenten groaned again, looking extremely guilty. "I really am! Isn't there anything I can do to repay you?"

"… are you sure you want to ask me that right now, Tenten?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"…nothing… it's alright… I thought your aim was supposed to be _perfect?_"

"You don't want to go there, Neji Hyuuga, you _really _don't..."

…

…

**Maito Gai's Youthful Training Method # 16 – Body Swapping**

…

"Since our attempts at learning one another's jutsus was – dare I say it, disastrous," Gai began.

At this, Neji looked accusingly at Tenten.

"I already said sorry!" she sputtered, going red. "And it's not _my _fault your technique is so damn – useless!"

"Really?" he arched an eyebrow. "Because if I recall, _my _Kaiten can deflect _any _weapon you throw at me."

"I wasn't referring to that! And I meant, without a Byakugan it's literally impossible to-"

"EXACTLY!" Gai shouted suddenly, interrupting the duo. "Without a Byakugan, it was impossible for Lee and Tenten, and even myself, to envision what it would be like in Neji's place, using _his _techniques! Similarly, without Lee's speed and agility, Neji and Tenten could not perform his attacks properly! And without Tenten's perfect hand-eye coordination – and without her blood – Neji and Lee could not properly wield her weapons, or even summon anything from her scrolls!"

"Obviously," Neji said. "Your point?"

"Well," Gai said, obviously controlling his excitement, "My friend Inoichi Yamanaka was kind enough to let me borrow a scroll, with one of their clan jutsus!"

"Please don't let this be what I think it is," Tenten whispered.

"I have a bad feeling it's precisely that," Neji responded, shaking his head in disbelief.

"We are going to perform the Mind-Body swap jutsu on one another!" Gai proclaimed. "Once in each other's bodies, we can perform each other's jutsus, and garner the ultimate knowledge of our teammates!"

"That's crazy!"

"Hell no. I'm _not _switching bodies."

"What a youthful idea!"

…

…

"What? Why? Why can't I switch with – Neji?" Tenten demanded.

Neji raised an eyebrow, but seemed to agree.

"Yes, I'd much rather switch with Tenten. If you're forcing us to do this, that is."

"I _am _forcing you to do this," Gai said firmly. "And Neji and Tenten cannot switch with each other for two reasons. Firstly, that would mean Lee and I switch with each other. And since our bodies and jutsus are similar, that would be pointless. Secondly, Tenten is a girl, and Neji is a boy."

They both looked at him incredulously.

"Lee's a boy too," Tenten pointed out.

"Yes," Gai nodded, "But Lee is a most honourable shinobi. I would not worry about entrusting your body to him, and you shouldn't either."

"Why would she worry about entrusting it to me?" Neji demanded. "I am an honourable shinobi as well!"

"No doubt," Gai said gravely, "But since it is Tenten, I cannot help but worry what you may do, Neji," Gai sighed.

"What – you think – I'm not some kind of a – _rapist_!" he spat, obviously furious.

"Neji! I was not implying that," Gai said, looking shocked. "It's just – I cannot wonder how much you see with that Byakugan…"

"…"

"Neji, _calm _down!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU IMPLYING? EIGHT TRIGRAM-"

"Neji, just LEAVE it!"

It was a rare occasion that Neji Hyuuge lost his calm, composed demeanor.

Good thing Tenten was there to calm him down.

…

"Preposterous! Absolutely preposterous!"

"Neji, it's alright! _I know _you don't – use your Byakugan like that, and that you don't – have any – um – dishonourable intentions with my body…"

"…"

"Geez, Neji! Stop glaring at me like that! I said you don't!"

…

"This is unreal," Tenten murmured, staring down at her muscular, spandex-covered arms. "And embarrassing. Ugh! I bet this was a plan to get us into spandex."

The bowl-haired shinobi next to her looked rather murderous.

Across from her, Neji and Tenten were leaping around excitedly.

"WOW!" Tenten shrieked. "This is so YOUTHFUL!"

She spun around, striking a pose, her teeth flashing.

"I am burning with the flames of youth!" Neji proclaimed, a dazzling grin on his face. He winked roguishly.

As bizarre as it all was, Tenten couldn't help but think he looked rather attractive when we winked like that – though it really wasn't even him.

It was actually Gai. In Neji's body.

Lee had taken over hers.

Tenten was stuck in Lee's body, and Neji was in Gai's.

He was fuming silently, obvious not very thrilled about the situation.

Gai's arms were crossed, a disdainful expression on his face.

"This. Is. Ridiculous," he spat.

"Yeah," Tenten murmured, feeling extremely uncomfortable and extremely – _revealing _in that damn, skin-tight spandex.

…

"Ugh! These are heavy!" Tenten grunted, sliding off the weights from her legs with great difficulty. "And how the hell can they wear such – _tight _clothes?"

Neji didn't say anything, glowering at the ground, his thick eyebrows furrowed, killer intent leaking from his – or rather, Gai's – figure.

"Wow, Neji!" Neji shouted, "This eye of yours - it's really something!"

"Turn it off!" Gai commanded, scowling. "Turn it off right _now_!"

"Noooo way," Neji said, looking rather delighted. "Man, I wish my cool rival Kakashi was here! I'd show him SOMETHING alright! Actually – come to think of it… Kakashi _was _supposed to meet me here today…"

"No!" Gai said frantically, looking panicked. "Don't even _think _about it, not when you're _me_!"

Tenten in the meanwhile, was bouncing up and down like a hyperactive ball of energy.

"LEE!" Lee called exasperatedly, rolling his round eyes. "Stop that already!"

"But Tenten!" Tenten cried, "I have this most _unusual _sensation! I can't figure out what it is!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lee demanded.

"It's just –" Tenten began thoughtfully, "This weird feeling in my chest when I jump, it's like they're something – weighing me down… you don't wear weights on your-"

"LEE!" Lee shrieked, horrified. "Just – just _stop! _Don't say _anything_!"

Gai smirked, holding back a snicker.

"And you!" Lee yelled, turning on Gai, "Not a word from you!"

"I wasn't going to say anything," Gai said, his face straight.

"Lee!" Neji boomed, clapping his hands on Tenten's shoulders. "You mustn't make such comments, my youthful pupil. Has no one taught you about the Springtime of Womanhood?"

"God – no," Lee moaned. "Save me! Neji, let's just _leave_!"

"I would," Gai muttered, "If that imbecile hadn't taken my _body_!"

"Well, my dear student," Neji was telling Tenten, "The Springtime of Womanhood is a stage which all young flowers reach in their life. It is when –"

"Stop!" Lee screeched. "Stop, right _now, _we really _don't _need this!"

"But," Neji began protesting, before he stopped abruptly, white eyes widening, the veins nearly popping out of his face.

"Well, well, well!" Neji shouted, striking yet another ridiculous pose.

"He's is ruining my reputation," Gai said, teeth gritted.

"Kakashi Hatake!" Neji hollered, "MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

Kakashi, who had strolled in a few moments back, sent Neji a bewildered look out of the top of his orange book.

"I – never really knew you considered me a rival," he mused.

"Kakashi!" Neji said, with melodramatic sadness, "I _never _thought the day would come when you _failed _to recognize me as your rival! I expected more from you, Kakashi, I really did!"

"Stop it!" Lee yelled, sensing that Gai's form was rigid – he seemed ready to go on an attacking spree any moment. "Stop it right now! Kakashi-sensei, I really think you should go!"

"I agree with you," Kakashi said, looking rather uncomfortable, his visible black eye oscillating from Neji to Gai, the latter of which was glowering rather menacingly.

"I'm just going to – pretend that this never happened, okay?" Kakashi suggested, before disappearing with a swirl of leaves.

Silence filled the training ground.

"That was – disturbing," Lee finally deigned it appropriate to say. "Can we _please _switch back now?"

"I'm going to – _kill _them," Gai muttered, looking extremely homicidal at that moment. With his bushy eyebrows, the effect was certainly terrifying.

"You know, Gai-sensei," Tenten, who was hurling kunai at a tree, piped up.

"Yes, m'boy?" Neji boomed.

Lee winced, as the kunai missed the bulls-eye by a mere centimetre. That wouldn't mess up her 100% accuracy record would it – since it wasn't technically _her _who was throwing the kunai, though the body was her own.

"I'm actually able to improve my aim," Tenten said brightly, "With Tenten's amazing skills! I now understand what it feels like to be her!"

"That's great," Lee said, with mock cheerfulness. "Now that you've – um – understood, let's switch back!"

"Absolutely _not_," Neji said, turning to Tenten, a wide smile on his face.

"Lee, I am _so _proud of you," Neji said, his eyes softening. "You've developed Tenten's skills – and understood the _true _meaning of this exercise!"

"G-Gai-sensei!" Tenten choked, her eyes watering slightly. "Anything to make you proud!"

"No," Lee said, shaking his head. "This isn't happening. This has to be some kind of a nightmare!"

"Oh, Lee!" Neji shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks as well.

"Gai-sensei!" Tenten cried back.

"LEE!" Neji rushed forward, pulling Tenten into a crushing embrace.

Somehow, that image made Tenten flutter despite how – _wrong _it was in the circumstances.

"G-gai-sensei!" Tenten sobbed happily.

"WAIT, LEE!" Neji said sternly, suddenly pulling away.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Tenten asked.

"We – we have to do this properly," Neji replied. "To understand our teammates, we have to actually – _be _them!"

"Understood!" Tenten said, nodding swiftly and saluting.

"So… Lee – no, Tenten!" Neji cried passionately.

"Neji!" Tenten replied, just as passionately.

"TENTEN!"

"NEJI!"

Neji and Tenten hugged again, tears streaming down their cheeks, before they ran away into a sunset, waves crashing in the background.

Lee and Gai, stood transfixed. Gai looked murderous, and Lee was gaping slightly.

"That was – the most disturbing thing I've seen," Lee spoke finally.

"I _really _hope – no one sees them – or _us_," Gai said, shaking his head.

…

"Finally!" Tenten cried with palpable relief, as she found herself back into her own body.

Neji was silent, his face hard.

"Well, that was an enriching experience, wasn't it?" Gai asked. "I think we learnt a lot – about teamwork, and team bonds."

"It was amazing, Gai-sensei!" Lee said breathlessly, "I can understand Tenten so much better now! Though I still don't get why she wears weights on her che-"

"NEJI!" Tenten said sharply, her brown eyes narrowing.

The white-eyed boy turned to her, nodding almost imperceptibly.

"You know, Gai-sensei," Tenten said sweetly, "I think Neji and I _have _learnt the true meaning of teamwork…"

"Certainly," Neji said, smirking slightly as he walked behind Tenten.

Then, quick as lightening, he linked his arms through hers, and began spinning.

"Wait – what are they doing?" Lee asked tentatively.

"Neji! Tenten! Don't!" Gai shouted, panicking slightly, as a blue sphere of chakra erupted around Neji.

Two voices were heard, shouting out together from within the sphere.

"Twin Rising Dragon Heavenly Spin!"

"Damnit!" Gai cried, ducking as waves and waves of chakra-infused weapons shot out of the dome.

"Should I – join them?" Lee asked innocently.

"No Lee!" Gai shouted hysterically. "Just – duck and run!"

"Right, sensei!"

…

…

**Maito Gai's Youthful Training Method # 48 – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation**

…

"So today, we will be learning an extremely important lifesaving skill," Gai announced to his team. "It is one of those skills essential for survival. Actually, after facing Kisame, and having you three in those water prisons – I have decided that I simply _must _teach you this technique. If ever we face an opponent like him again, and one of us loses breath – well, we will be needing this technique to save our lives…"

"Ooh! What technique is this?" Lee asked, brimming with curiosity.

"It is called Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation!" Gai said proudly.

"WOW! That sounds like a pretty fancy jutsu!" Lee said, awed.

Neji and Tenten however, had frozen.

"Hell NO!" Neji said vehemently. "I've gone along with your asinine methods too long, this time there is _no _way I am agreeing to this!"

"Me neither!" Tenten said, just as vindictively.

"Why not?" Lee whined, "It sounds like an amazing jutsu, if it can save lives!"

"It's _not _ a jutsu Lee!" Tenten screeched, "It's freaking CPR! Meaning… mouth-to-mouth!"

"…oh," Lee said, round eyes widening. "Then…"

"See, even Lee doesn't want to do it," Neji cut in quickly, "So it's three against one."

"Lee, do you really not want to do this?" Gai asked, staring his pupil in the eye.

"I admit I am uncomfortable with the idea, sensei," Lee said honestly, "But if you think it is for the best, I will follow in your stead!"

"NO!" Tenten and Neji both objected.

"Are you – senile or something?" Neji questioned seriously.

"I'm sorry, you don't have a choice," Gai said firmly. "If we were to face a situation like that again – remember, Neji, Tenten was nearly out of breath-"

"Which is why I broke the damn water prisons to save her," Neji interrupted.

"If you had been a few seconds late," Gai boomed, "Then? What if that had happened, Neji? Would you let Tenten, a teammate, _die, _simply because you were unwilling to perform the technique? Would you?"

Tenten glanced at Neji, curious to know his response, her face heating up at the very idea.

Neji was silent.

"Would you, Neji?" Gai persisted, "Would you let her die?"

"… of course not," Neji said, "But-"

"Exactly! I am proud of you Neji, that was a youthful answer! NOW, let's split into pairs!"

"W-what?"

…

"I have one dummy," Gai said, procuring a white plastic head, "So two of you will pair up, and the third will practice on this."

"Why didn't you get – three dummies?" Neji demanded.

"I – couldn't," was the evasive reply. "Anyway, since Tenten is the only female in this group, she has the honor of picking her partner. So, Tenten, my flower – who do you want as your partner? Lee or Neji?"

"Um – what?" Tenten squeaked, looking rather humiliated. "Wh-why do I have to pick? Make Neji or Lee pick!"

"Tenten, come on, we don't have all day," Gai said, sighing.

Tenten badly wanted to pick Neji, but didn't know if she had it in her. What if he realized her crush, what if she messed up their friendship? Not to mention, Neji would probably prefer the dummy to her.

Tenten felt Neji's eyes boring into her, as well as Lee's.

"Can I –have the dummy?" she asked, smiling weakly.

This instigated violent and stuttering outbursts from Neji and Lee respectively.

"Tenten, don't you _dare,_" Neji began.

"I – am not - doing that - with Neji!" Lee screeched, flailing. "I'm not gay! I'm not Naruto – or Sasuke!"

"Tenten, you will have to choose Neji _or _Lee," Gai said. "The dummy is not an option."

"Okay," Tenten said, her heart pounding. She so badly wanted to pick Neji, but feared his reaction.

"Um… I pick… Neji," she said finally, turning crimson as she stared at the ground.

"Then I get the dummy!" Lee shouted gleefully, grabbing the white mask.

…

"Um…" Tenten mumbled, still staring at the ground, unable to meet her teammate's piercing gaze. They'd stood in silence for a few moments, the atmosphere between them rather awkward.

Tenten had caught a glimpse of Neji's face – it was completely stoic, not a hint of emotion showing. He was really good at that, actually. She'd been to mortified to see his reaction when she'd picked him, and even now, she preferred staring at the ground.

"I'm really sorry," she finally offered, still not looking up. He didn't reply.

"I know – I know I should have probably let _you _go with the dummy, but – well – I couldn't go with Lee, he's like a brother – not that I'm _implying _anything! It's just – well we always pair up, and I know this is different and – I'm sorry, but-"

"Tenten," Neji spoke, cutting her off, his voice measured and even. "I didn't even say anything."

"Yeah but," she began, mustering up the courage to look him in the eye.

His face was blank.

"It's alright," he said tonelessly, though Tenten swore she could detect some unfamiliar emotion swirling in his white eyes.

…

"So!" Gai instructed, "For this to work successfully, you must place your mouth against the victims, and then breathe deeply, pressing their chest at the same time! The purpose of this is to start their respiration system back up…"

"Oh no…" Tenten groaned, flushing as she buried her face in her arms.

"Am I really that repulsive to you?" Neji asked, sounding slightly amused.

Tenten clenched her teeth – she'd _kill _him – he was teasing her at a time like this! About something like this!

"No!" she snapped, "I never – ugh, just forget it! I'm sorry, Neji!"

"… I still don't understand why you continue to apologize needlessly, Tenten. I don't mind as much as you think I do."

…_what?_

Tenten's heart leapt at his words – but then she crashed back down to reality. He was probably just being polite. And he didn't say that he didn't mind. He just said that he didn't mind as much as she thought he did. Which meant he still probably minded.

Damn that Neji, why couldn't he speak straight?

…

"Neji! Tenten!" Gai called, "Start practicing! You know, practice makes perfect, and you never know when this could come in handy! Look at Lee!"

They looked, and then turned away immediately.

Lee was rather effervescently performing CPR on the dummy, probably imagining it was Sakura.

"… I wonder what we'll do if Lee ever needs CPR," Neji observed.

"Let's not go there," Tenten suggested.

…

"Do you want to go first, or shall I?" Neji asked straightforwardly after a few awkward moments had passed, and neither of them had made a move.

"Um – you decide, I'm fine with anything," Tenten mumbled, trying not to feel to excited at what may just happen.

"…"

"…"

"Fine. _I'll _do it," Neji said, in a long-suffering tone.

…

Tenten nearly jumped out of her skin, when she felt a warm hand under her chin, pulling her face up.

"Wh-what're you doing?" she managed.

"…practicing," Neji replied nonchalantly, his white eyes gazing into hers.

He had moved closer to her, his knees brushing her own, and had leaned over slightly.

She stared at his handsome face for a moment, his angled features and perfectly sculpted lips, disbelieving that this was actually going to happen.

"Close your eyes," Neji ordered, though his voice was gentle.

Tenten's brown eyes widened, but she complied, her eyelids fluttering shut.

He placed one soft, smooth palm on her cheek , the other resting on her shoulder. He leaned closer – she could feel his breath, ghosting against her lips.

_I cannot – believe this, _Tenten thought, her body paralyzed, her mind going into overdrive.

He was taking a tantalizingly long time, but she let him, hoping that his eyes were closed as well, so that he wouldn't notice her blush.

Neji, however, did notice her blush, and he could also see her fluctuating chakra with his Byakugan. He smirked, white eyes glinting almost mischievously.

…

Tenten waited, her heart hammering, savouring the feeling of his hand on her cheek, his breath against her lips.

A few moments later, she felt something warm and wet slide against her lips.

He was _kissing _her!

Tenten thought her heart would burst from excitement and hormones.

Neji took his time with the 'CPR', sliding his lips against hers languidly, before Tenten felt something wet slip between her own lips, pushing slightly against them.

She would have gasped if Neji's mouth wasn't covering hers, but opened her mouth in compliance. It was obvious what he was telling her to do.

His tongue slipped into her mouth, tangling with her own, and his lips continued to move gently against hers.

Tenten felt like she was in heaven… though probably, even heaven wouldn't feel _this _good.

Neji continued to kiss her – wasn't he supposed to be administering CPR – and Tenten felt the hand that had been resting on her shoulder slide down, towards her lower back, pulling her towards him, as he kissed her deeper.

He didn't stop, for quite a long time.

In fact, even a half-dead person would have woken up after _that _much 'CPR'.

Tenten wondered, absently, if CPR actually required him to run his tongue against hers; then she realized she didn't care, feeling rather lightheaded, as she felt his fingers slip under her shirt – wait, how did _that _happen?

Tenten, however, lost all sense and logic at that moment, drunk on Neji's intoxicating, amazing kiss which was doing all sorts of funny things to her. His tongue continued to explore her mouth, his lips rubbing sensually against her own.

Before she knew it, her hands were in his silky hair, pulling him closer desperately, as he continued to kiss her, now more passionately then before.

…

"Gai-sensei?" Lee asked, a bit bemused.

"Yes Lee?"

"Is the person you're doing CPR to – are they really supposed to – respond back?"

"… no, Lee. Usually not."

"And… is it really supposed to take – so much time? I mean, is the person doing it _supposed _to lose their breath too?"

"It – is _not _supposed to take this long…"

"And – does CPR really require – hands – going under shirts – and –"

Gai quickly covered Lee's eyes, not wanting to taint his innocence.

"No Lee, of course not," he said quickly.

"Then why are – Neji and Tenten –"

"Never mind that," Gai said quickly, "I think we should take 500 laps around Konoha, Lee. You and I both!"

"Of course, Gai-sensei!"

"Come on Lee, let's run with the fire of youth!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!"

…

_You know, _a small voice at the back of Tenten's mind said, as Neji gently lowered her down into the grass, his lips still locked with her own, _maybe Gai-sensei's training methods aren't that bad… no, not bad at all…_

…

…

…

_End_

_OOC, I know! But that was SO MUCH FUN to write! _

_FYI, the bit about Lee and Tenten being tied together actually happened. Even the Neji/Lee combo attack. The rest of it, however, was my wild imagination =P _

_Though, I totally bet Gai makes them do things like that! Not the CPR part, but the first 2 or 3 methods at least!_

_Please review!_

_xx_


	9. NejiTen: The Arrival of Hizashi Hyuuga

_A/N – cliché plot, I've read loads of SasuSaku with this plot, but for some reason no Nejiten. So I decided to write one! Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer – Don't own Naruto. Wish I did though._

xoxoxo

"Neji," Tenten growled, clutching the sterile white fabric in tightly clenched fingers.

There was no response.

"HYUUGA NEJI!" she called again, brows furrowed and voice exponentially louder.

"Tenten," Lee said, in as soothing a voice as he could muster, placing a cautious hand on her shoulder, though his round eyes were wide and slightly fearful.

"Where the _hell _is he, that selfish ingrate?" Tenten hissed, "It's his bloody fault I'm in this mess!"

"Tenten, you send him out five minutes ago," Lee said, thick brows pulling together in worry. "To get you your dumplings – remember?"

"Well why is he taking so long then?" Tenten snapped angrily, a whimper escaping her lips towards the end of the sentence.

"He's only been out five minutes," Lee defended loyally, wincing when Tenten grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly.

"IT HURTS!" she moaned loudly, mood rapidly fluctuating from furious and impatient, to what Lee could only call petulant – or rather sulky.

"Make it stop, Lee," Tenten whimpered again, clutching at her stomach. "Where's Neji! I want Neji!"

"Tsunade-sama!" Lee gasped, his fingers gradually turning purple from Tenten's tenacious grasp.

"I did tell you to take painkillers," Tsunade said, shaking her head as she rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a bottle filled with white pills.

"I DON'T NEED THOSE DAMN THINGS!" Tenten exploded, brown eyes flashing dangerously as her hand reached under the sheets towards her weapon's pouch.

It was empty. Neji, from experience, had wisely told Tsunade to make sure the girl didn't have a single weapon on her – after she'd nearly aimed a barrage of kunai at him when he'd bluntly (and rather prissily) refused to go run errands for her, no matter how badly she craved those damn dumplings.

-Flashback-

He couldn't be blamed really – it was the fourth time in the last half and hour she'd demanded something of him, and his carefully sustained Hyuuga dignity already had gone for a toss when he'd gone begging to Hinata for help. There was _no _way he was walking into a cake shop and ordering a Panda shaped cake. The girl was impossible. Luckily, the ever benevolent Hinata had taken pity on him and got the cake for him. Only so that Tenten could smash it in his face when she was overcome by a particularly harrowing contraction.

Even without her precious bits of sharp steel, Tenten had a lethal aim, and Neji did not appreciate having his face, and his long, silky, newly washed _hair _covered in gooey chocolate sauce. At least it seemed to make her happy though. Instead of bawling out crocodile tears she'd taken to laughing hysterically at him for five minutes, before ordering him to get her dumplings.

"It's not for me," she'd snarled when he glared at her icily, wiping the last remnants of chocolate from his face with herbedsheets.

He had raised an eyebrow at her, and she'd retorted almost victoriously.

"Not my fault you son's a spoilt, craving brat! Hizashi wants dumplings, and you're bloody well getting him some!"

"…ridiculous," Neji had scoffed, before turning around and marching out, a look of exasperation mingled with impatience etched across his handsome features.

-End Flashback-

"Are you sure, Tenten?" Tsunade asked, uncorking the bottle of painkillers. "They're really effective you know, I created the formula myself. You won't feel a thing."

"I'M A FREAKING KUNOICHI NOT SOME DELICATE CIVILIAN! I'VE FACED WORSE THAN THIS! I DON'T NEED YOUR BLOODY PAINKILLERS! I CAN HANDLE PAIN, WOMAN! I DO WEAPONS!" Tenten hollered indignantly, and Lee winced, as she pressed harder on his poor fingers.

Thank Kami the Lotus required leg action rather the usage of his hands, one of which, Lee was pretty sure, wouldn't properly function for weeks. Unless he could convince Sakura to have a look at it after this entire ordeal was over.

"Have it your way then," Tsunade shrugged, walking out.

"Tsunade-sama!" Lee called, looking desperate. "How much longer?"

Tsunade looked at the screen, amber eyes narrowing. She frowned slightly.

"Three more hours, I'd say?"

Lee groaned.

xoxoxo

"AGH! LEE! IT – IT – IT HURTS!" Tenten wailed, eyes screwing shut.

"Calm down Tenten!" Lee cried, distressed. How long was Neji taking? "Come on – let's do the youthful breathing exercises! They will help, Gai-sensei said they would!"

"I'm not doing your bloody exercises," Tenten spat, but Lee had grabbed her shoulders and was staring at her determinedly.

"Come on Tenten! If I don't make you do fifty of them in the next minute, I will take three hundred laps around Konoha on my hands! Come on Tenten, we can do this! Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale!"

Tenten scowled at him, but complied anyway. Only because it helped alleviate the pain, to a small extent,

"Good job, Tenten! You're doing a youthful job!" Lee encourage, breathing heavily in demonstration. "Come on now, inhale, exhale! INHALE! EXHALE!"

That was how Neji found them, five minutes later, when he walked in, looking excruciatingly irritated, a steaming bowl of dumplings in his hands.

"Where the heck were you?" Tenten squealed, pushing poor Lee of the table.

He landed on the ground with a thud, rubbing his head.

"Tenten!" Lee called reproachfully, rubbing his head. Neji smirked at him for a moment, before turning steadily to his wife.

"I was getting _your – _I mean – _Hizashi's _dumplings," he said carefully, setting the bowl down on the table, safely away from Tenten's reach.

"I DON'T WANT DUMPLINGS YOU DOLT! DO I LOOK LIKE I'M IN THE STATE TO EAT ANYTHING? NEJI, YOU MORON!"

"I'm sorry," Neji said, gritting his teeth. At the moment, he really felt like Jyuukening her. He loved her to death, but at that moment she was infuriating.

"Byakugan," he muttered, activating his dojutsu so he could check on her chakra network.

"NEJI! YOU PERVERT!" Tenten screeched. He narrowed his eyes, glowering at her.

"I'm looking at the _baby's _chakra network, Tenten," he said, his voice a controlled calm.

"Are you implying I'm too ugly to look at with your stupid eye?" she asked tremulously, suddenly bursting into tears.

Neji sighed, as he sat by her bedside, cautiously, in case she deemed it necessary to throw something at him. Luckily, she didn't, and he proceeded to calm her down, placing his arm around her shoulders, another hand running down her arm soothingly.

Tenten glared at him from below brown bangs, pouting slightly. Neji smiled, pushing her sweat-drenched hair away from her eyes, loosening the hair ties holding the disheveled buns up.

"You're mean," Tenten mumbled, glaring at him, her cheeks red. "You're _really _mean, Neji. Go _away._ I don't know why I married you."

"Because you love me?" Neji suggested, his voice soft in her ear.

"No!" she denied vehemently, shaking her head, still attempting to glare at him.

Neji smiled indulgently, leaning forward to nuzzle her cheek before he placed a kiss on it.

She squeaked, flushing, but said nothing more, allowing him to pull her close and cuddle her.

"Maybe," she conceded after a few moments, biting her lip. "Only a tiny bit, though."

Neji kissed her again, this time on the nose. He decided, off all her vacillating moods, he preferred the sulky one best. It was kind of adorable, at least in Neji's eyes.

And far better than the violent one.

xoxoxo

Unfortunately for Neji, the peace didn't last for very long, and violent Tenten soon surfaced after twenty minutes, and a particularly painful series of muscle cramps.

"Tenten?" Neji asked, concerned, gently placing a hand on her bulging stomach. She swatted it away, scowling at him.

"NEJI! YOU SELFISH PRIG! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU HORNY BASTARD! YOU JUST COULDN'T KEEP YOUR HANDS – OR YOUR DAMN HYUUGA MANHOOD TO YOURSELF COULD YOU! PERVERTED, SEX-STARVED FREAK!"

Neji's face turned a rather unpleasant shade of blue, and Hiashi, who had chosen that time to visit, stiffened in his chair.

"I think I'll stop by later," the clan head said pleasantly, standing up. "I hope you feel better, Tenten," he said, before swiftly exiting the rather awkward silence that had filled the room after Tenten tirade.

"FEEL BETTER! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOUR NEPHEW THAT BEFORE HE PRACTICALLY MOLESTED ME DURING TRAIN-" Tenten's screech was cut off when Lee quickly clamped a bandaged hand over her mouth, sitting on the other side of the bed that wasn't occupied by a mortified looking Neji.

"Don't be so unyouthful, Tenten," Lee reprimanded, "From what I heard, you seemed to want it as badly as he did."

He yowled a few seconds later, as a vengeful Tenten bit down on his hand. The moment her mouth was free, she started screaming again.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HEARD? WHAT, WERE YOU AND GAI-SENSEI SPYING ON US LIKE PERVERTS! WE'RE NOT SOME FREE PORN SHOW, YOU KNOW! YOU SHOULD-"

"It wasn't our fault!" Lee wailed, obviously fearing for his life. "You were LOUD! And you were scaring the squirrels! Neji, help me out here!"

Neji looked faintly disgusted, but deciding that Lee was currently the lesser of the two evils, placed a hand on Tenten's temple, sending a small current of chakra into her body.

She fell limp in his arms a few seconds later.

"Y-y-you killed her?" Lee blathered, and Neji shot him a withering glare.

"I'm the last person to hurt Tenten, idiot," he snarled, "I just – put her to sleep for a while. It won't affect the baby, or even harm her at all. So shut up."

"Why the hell didn't you do it sooner?" Lee demanded.

Neij's hard expression softened, as he gazed almost lovingly at his now serenely slumbering wife. He ran a hand through her long brown hair, combing away the tangles with his fingers.

"I just – didn't want to."

xoxoxo

When Tenten awoke, she felt rather comfortable. In fact, so comfortable that she could barely register the spasmodic pain in her abdominal region.

She was leaning against a warm, hard chest, and she could smell Neji's musky scent, invading her senses. His hands were warm and gentle on her shoulders – kneading and pressing, applying pressure just where she needed it, with a few burst of soothing chakra.

Damn, that felt good. This pregnancy really had taken a toll on her, and her shoulders and back had been aching.

Neji seemed to realize she was awake.

"Roll to the side," he murmured in her ear, and she complied, moaning out unashamedly as his hands found a particularly tense spot on her lower back, sliding under the thick white fabric of her hospital gown to move blissfully across her bare skin.

His touch was soothing – and after a while, as she reveled in the feeling of his smooth fingers, which were now skirting across her stomach – she realized it was turning her on.

"Neji," she purred, batting her eyelashes at him. He stiffened, slowly pulling his hands away, recognizing the tone of her voice, the darkened look in her eyes.

"Tenten," he said cautiously, his hands now resting at her waist. He didn't want her to switch back to angry mode, but he wasn't sure he could handle her like this. It was probably worse.

He'd used his Byakugan, and his skilled hands to massage away the knots and joints he could see had developed in his poor wife's back and shoulders. But he hadn't been expecting this kind of reaction from her.

Usually Neji would have loved a horny Tenten.

But right now, she was horny and pregnant (and possibly mentally instable, he surmised) and the combination was not something Neji liked.

"Neji," Tenten said breathlessly, pulling her husband closer, her hand trailing down his chest. "I think you know what I want…"

Neji cursed, feeling himself respond to her touch. He had to deny her, obviously. They were in a hospital room, and she was hours away from delivery. But he didn't know how the hell to do it without risking his life.

"Tenten…"

"Yes, Neji-kun," she cooed, her hand sneaking lower, and Neji groaned inwardly.

"Tenten, I don't think we-" he began, halting slightly as her brown eyes flashed.

"What?" she almost snarled, and if they were in any other situation, Neji would have found the aggression inviting.

"Tenten – I – you –" Neji wondered what to say, fearing the impact of his words.

Luckily, he was saved the trouble.

"TENTEN, MY FLOWER!" a loud voice boomed, entering the room with a blur of green. "HOW IS THE FRUIT OF YOUR YOUTH PROGRESSING?"

Neji had never in his life been relieved to see Maito Gai. This was, quite possibly the first time.

xoxoxo

"BREATHE, TENTEN! BREATHE WITH THE FULL POWER OF YOUTH!" Gai encouraged.

"COME ON TENTEN! YOU CAN DO THIS!" Lee cheered on.

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING! NEJIIII!" Tenten wailed.

"I'm right here, don't worry, everything will be alright…" Neji said comfortingly, placing a kiss on her forehead as he held her hands between his.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW? CHAUVINIST PIG! THIS IS _YOUR _FAULT, BY THE WAY! AND I KNOW YOU TOLD THEM TO CONFISCATE MY WEAPONS! JUST WAIT TILL THIS IS OVER, NEJI HYUUGA! I WILL CASTRATE YOU WITH A DULL SHURIKEN!" Neji recoiled slightly, looking hurt for a moment, before shaking his head. He knew she didn't mean it.

"…I love you, Tenten."

"SCREW YOU NEJI! ME TOO! JUST – AAAAAAAARGH!" Tenten screamed, throwing her head back.

"PUSH TENTEN! PUSH WITH THE FULL POWER OF YOUTH!" Gai shouted.

"YES! YOU WILL FINISH THIS MISSION SUCCESSFULLY TENTEN!" Lee added hysterically.

"Concentrate your chakra to your abdomen," Tsunade instructed, "A few more pushes should do it!"

"UGH – I – I'M TRYING!" Tenten half gasped, half screamed.

Neji placed his hands, glowing with chakra, on her stomach, pouring his chakra into her, helping direct the chakra flow. It seemed to help.

"Keep at it," Tsunade said, nodding. "I can see the head…"

"COME ON, YOUTHFUL FLOWER! DO NOT GIVE UP! YOU'RE ALMOST DONE!"

"AAAARGH! DAMNIT, JUST DO A C-SECTION, WILL YOU? CUT ME OPEN WITH A KATANA FOR ALL I CARE! IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVEN'T DONE THAT BEFORE!"

"Head's nearly out, come on, Tenten!" Tsunade urged, ignoring her screeching pleas. "You're a kunoichi, remember? Pain is nothing for you!"

"Be strong, Tenten," Neji whispered, before barely dodging a fist aimed at him. Despite being in labor, Tenten's aim was precise. It was a good thing he had lightning-fast reflexes.

"YOU CALLING ME WEAK, HYUUGA? I'LL SHOW YOU! WAIT TILL WE SPAR NEXT WEEK! I'LL SKEWER YOU WITH MY TWIN RISING DRAGONS!"

"Head's out!" Tsunade called, "Just a couple more pushes! You're doing well!"

xoxoxo

"H-he's beautiful," Tenten choked, her brown eyes misting over as she held the little blanket-swathed bundle in her arms, gently placing a finger on it's tiny, chubby red cheek.

Neji gazed at the baby tenderly, before turning to his wife, pulling her closer, and resting his chin on the top of her head. Her face was serene and full of gentle love.

"He must have gotten it from you," Neji murmured, placing a hand on the baby's head, which was covered with a few tufts of dark brown hair.

"Aww, Neji," Tenten blushed, leaning up to press her lips against his. Neji kissed her back for a few seconds, before they both pulled away, to look at the other two who stood beside the bed.

"He – is – so full of _youth!" _Gai choked, tears streaming down his face. "I've never seen anything this _young, _this youthful in my life!"

"He's a baby, what did you expect?" Neji said sarcastically, and Tenten giggled.

"Thank you, Gai-sensei," she said, smiling. From Gai, that was the best compliment little Hizashi Hyuuga could get.

"He's going to be a marvelous shinobi!" Lee proclaimed, sniffling. "I know it! I just hope – he gets – a competent sensei!"

Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Lee, we already told you, you get to be his sensei! Don't worry!"

"YOSH!" Lee shouted excitedly, leaning forward to peer at the baby. "Hello Hizashi-kun! I'm your future sensei! Won't we make a youthful team!"

"What about me?" Gai asked, looking forlorn.

"Godfather," Neji grunted, shaking his head. "You already knew that. So don't bawl like a baby."

It was too late though – tears of ecstasy were pouring down both Lee and Gai's faces.

"This is excellent!" Gai beamed, shooting them a dazzling smile. "In fact, so excellent, that I have bought a youthful gift for Hizashi-kun! His first gift ever!"

"Me too!" Lee shouted, quickly producing a stuffed squirrel.

"Oh – thanks Lee," Tenten grinned, accepting the plushie. However, she and Neji both turned rather fearfully to Gai, who was beaming maniacally.

"Please don't let this be what I think it is," Neji muttered, shaking his head.

"HERE YOU GO!" Gai announced, conjuring a miniscule, shiny piece of familiar-looking green spandex. "A SPANDEX BABYSUIT JUST FOR YOUR NEWBORN CHILD! IT WILL HELP HIM GROW INTO A SPECTACULAR SHINOBI! I EVEN GOT HIM MINI LEG WARMERS WITH TEN GRAM WEIGHTS!"

Tenten buried her face into her hands, pulling little Hizashi closer.

"My poor, poor baby," she cried.

"_HELL _NO! YOU ARE NOT GIVING THOSE TO OUR BABY!" Neji shouted, ever the protective father.

"…fine. I expected that," Gai muttered dejectedly, stowing away the spandex. "Lee, when you have a baby-"

"Definitely, Gai-sensei!" Lee said enthusiastically, adding after a moment, "Though – I don't think I'm getting married…"

"It's alright Lee! It's the thought that counts!"

Tenten and Neji exchanged a look, before Neji pulled his wife and child closer, placing his cheek against Tenten's. Tenten smiled at him, her eyes bright, before leaning over to kiss her son's forehead.

When she pulled away, Hiashi's wide eyes fluttered open for the first time.

"They're – just like Neji's!" Lee exclaimed, and Neji heaved a sigh of relief.

Though he adored Tenten's chocolate brown eyes, he'd really been hoping that his child inherited the Byakugan. He was one of the few Hyuuga members to marry outside the clan, and hence there was a possibility that his son wouldn't have his eyes. Luckily, however, Hizashi had the same pearly eyes as he did. Even his features seemed to be the same as his father's, though his hair was a few shades lighter – Tenten's.

"Happy?" Tenten asked her husband, smirking slightly.

Neji smiled at her.

"I already was, Tenten."

Lee leaned forward, holding a finger above Hizashi's face, in the hope that the child would soon clutch on to it.

"Come on Hizashi-kun! Grab Lee-sensei's finger like a good baby!" Lee cooed.

Tenten laughed.

"Lee, do you want to hold him for a while?" she offered.

Lee stood up, looking extremely thrilled at the prospect. Neji however, looked rather uncertain.

"You – you'd let me?" Lee asked, and Tenten nodded, holding out the baby.

"Don't drop him, please," Neji muttered and Tenten jabbed an elbow into his waist.

"Of course I won't!" Lee said indignantly, reverently taking the bundle, and cradling the child to his chest. "He's really amazing, you know."

Hizashi's proud parents smiled, and Neji leaned over again, to place a soft kiss on his young wife's pink lips.

"…yes, Lee. He is."

xoxoxo

_A/N – Sappy as hell, horribly out of character, but what the heck. It was fun to write! _

_And Tenten gets mad pregnant mood swings, she's allowed to be like that. As for Neji – well I wanted to make him a sap. And though he's not the type to be all submissive, she IS pregnant, so he's bound to cave. At least in my little world._

_Hope you liked it and please please PLEASE drop be a review! Thanks!_


	10. NejiTen: They're training? Seriously?

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto_

_A/N – Thank you my darling reviewers! I got exactly 50 reviews! I'm so happy! Keep reviewing guys, please! You really make me go on writing…_

_This is a bunch of drabbles; they are completely pointless, rather out of character, and is full of fluff, sweet fluff that will give you cavities and smut that made me blush thinking of it. There is no lemon, but there are some steamy scenes (at least I hope they're steamy) and implied 'what-Neji-and-Tenten-do-when-they-say-they're-training-but-they're-not'. Yeah, you get the point. Don't say I didn't warn you, and read on only if you're interested in that kind of thing, or old enough. _

_Warning – rated M. No lemon, but descriptions. _

XOXOXOXOX

"Neji," Tenten murmured, leaning back into the warm hands that were moving along her shoulders, "That's _really _distracting…"

"Maybe that was my intention," he whispered huskily, his breath tickling her ear, as he continued his ministrations.

Neji had always been skilled with his hands – initially, this skill was put to good use with his jutsu. The Kaiten and Jyuuken required precise chakra control and finger movements. In the past few months, however, Neji had found what could be considered, a much more _sensual _use for his hands. His teammate and lover Tenten, fully benefited from his genius.

"I'm _trying _to read this scroll, you know…" Tenten said, steeling her resolve.

She would _not _melt. She would _not _cave into him, allow him to do what he wanted with her, like he had the last few times. She was a kunoichi, damnit. And even if he was a genius, a rank higher than her, one of the best shinobi in Konoha - he couldn't possibly have _that _much control over her.

Yet, after a few minutes of his touching, she felt herself melt, like a gleaming kunai in a fiery-hot furnace, turning to molten metal. Neji continued to massage her shoulders, his hands velvety soft, his touch deceptively gentle – Tenten knew (and had experienced) the strength behind those hands. Hands that were equally good at fighting as they were lovemaking.

"You should learn to concentrate in spite of distractions," Neji murmured against her neck, his lips brushing against her bare skin.

Tenten bit back a gasp, as the smooth hands massaging her shoulders slid slightly lower. He'd started using chakra too – the sly wretch.

"You're cheating," Tenten grumbled, keeping her eyes locked on the boring piece of paper in front of her, and _not _the extremely alluring shinobi who was now doing something sinfully wonderful to her neck with his tongue, which was quite possible as skilled as his lips.

She felt him smirk against her neck, and his hands squeezed ever so slightly, releasing a steady stream of chakra that made her body tingle, that aroused her even more than her. Neji had recently discovered that using small amounts of chakra, when his hands explored his lover's body, elicited quite a positive response from her.

"Nejiii," Tenten groaned, as his hands slid around her waist to her stomach, pulling her hard against his chest. His lips were at her ear again.

"Come on, Tenten," he whispered, his hands sneaking under the white cotton of her top, "It's futile trying to resist…"

His fingers skirted over the skin of her belly, up her sides, and his lips were brushing against the shell of her ear, his long hair tickling her cheek.

"Come with me," Neji entreated softly, his voice unbearably husky.

He'd somehow managed to open the first few buttons of her top, slipping it partially off her shoulders. He dragged his teeth against the newly revealed skin.

Tenten felt herself get turned on – if it was humanly possible to get more turned on than she already was.

She felt one strong, muscled arm around her shoulders, and the other sliding under her knees, and though Tenten was fully capable of walking, something about Neji carrying her in his arms thrilled her romantic side and sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Neji seemed to know this as well.

Seconds later, she was on the bed, being _ravaged _by her teammate, who seemed to have a lot of extra energy to expend (they hadn't sparred earlier that day) to the benefit of them both.

His stamina and strength, her flexibility, the speed they had both gained after years of training with Gai all paid off, really, enriching the entire experience.

It was certainly what Gai would call youthful.

XOXOXOXOX

"Where are Neji and Tenten?" Gai asked Lee one morning, as the duo met at their usual training ground.

"Oh, Neji has some meeting with the Hyuuga clan. And Tenten's polishing her weapons or something," Lee recited the excuses Neji and Tenten had given him unabashedly, though in reality he had surmised what might have been going on.

Gai smiled as well, thick brows knitting together.

It seemed that the Hyuuga clan had a _lot _of important issues to discuss lately. So important that they broke Hyuuga protocol and held meetings even when their clan head Hiashi was out of town with his youngest daughter Hanabi. And Tenten's weapons, which had remained reasonably sharp over the years, had been growing steadily blunter and blunter.

Not to mention, Tenten seemed to be having weapons mishaps quite often (these being the cause of the marks on her neck, which she claimed occurred during practice) which was odd, considering she had perfect aim.

And Neji – the boy couldn't _possibly _have become _that _dependant on his Byakugan that he felt it necessary to use it even when he was just talking with his female teammate. Gai had also picked up some sort of odd pattern that occurred with Tenten, excessive Byakugan usage, and random tinges of pink on Neji's usually pale face. Not to mention, Gai personally felt the reach of his gentle fist was far too concentrated on particular areas of Tenten's anatomy.

Gai shook his head – they thought they were being _subtle?_

It was as loud as the orange legwarmers on his beautiful green spandex what was happening. Neji and Tenten were lucky that he and Lee also happened to be gifted at keeping their little secret quiet.

XOXOXOXOX

"Anything else I can do for you?" Neji asked, obviously trying hard to keep the sarcastic edge from his tone.

Tenten rolled her eyes, leaning forward to pat him on his silky dark locks.

Neji glared at her, an icy white glare. She could tell it lacked any actual venom though.

She giggled.

"You can continue," she said, smiling, and Neji bowed, this action heavily sardonic, before continuing the foot massage, his hands kneading her aching feet.

"Mmm, that's nice…" Tenten murmured, her eyelids fluttering shut as she leaned back.

It wasn't often that she beat Neji in a spar. He was insanely powerful, for one thing. She could hold against him well, extremely well, for over half an hour, but he usually prevailed.

When he didn't though – when she skillfully managed to get past his guard and hold her metal to his throat and force him to relent – that meant she was rewarded.

Ironically enough, the system had been inspired by Lee and Gai's ludicrous punishment training method, though neither Neji nor Tenten would admit this. The main difference, however, was the fact that instead of punishments, they preferred having rewards.

And today morning, she had defeated him in a spar. And hence her reward.

"You're really milking this for all it's worth, aren't you?"

He sounded amused. She cracked open an eyelid, her brown eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Come on, Neji, you know it's the only way to make you do stuff like this…"

"I may have done it voluntarily, if I had known you liked it so much," he offered, his hands moving up to cup her calves.

"Hands down, Neji," Tenten snapped, trying to sound stern. "_You're _not supposed to be enjoying this. Stick to the feet."

"I'm only doing it for _your _benefit," he shot back, hands sliding higher.

"Neji…" Tenten said warningly, eyes flashing.

He smirked at her, meeting her poor attempt at a glare with a challenging impetuosity, white eyes twinkling.

"You're enjoying it as well," he pointed out softly, leaning down to place a kiss on her bare calf.

His fingers ventured higher, and soon Tenten decided to stop resisting and give into what she had wanted badly from the beginning, but didn't quite want to ask for.

The next day, Neji won the spar, trapping her against a tree, his body pressed against hers, a few chakra points closed.

He'd worshipped her body the earlier day (perhaps he'd gone further, _much _further, than what she'd asked for, but Tenten had been slightly bashful when it came to asking him what she wanted, so he just took his own initiative, encouraged by the beautiful, delightful expressions and sounds she'd make).

But he'd won this time. It was her turn now.

XOXOXOXOX

No one would have expected Neji to have rather – _kinky _interests, the kinds worthy of Jiraiya's acclaimed novel, 'Icha Icha Violence'.

He rarely indulged them – very rarely. Possibly only twice over the last couple years.

Luckily for him, Tenten was quite the strong kunoichi, determined not be beaten down by her male lover. And she was creative – _very _creative with weapons.

Chains were used for binding. Kunai trailed teasingly across bare skin. Shuriken used to rip apart clothes when impatience was mounting.

Nunchaks, however, were _not _something Neji had expected. Frankly, he had been shocked when she'd summoned them once, an almost evil glint in her brown eyes.

A few hours later, Neji realized that most of Konoha was mistaken.

He wasn't the genius – _she _was.

XOXOXOXOX

"We're on a mission, damnit!"

"We retrieved the scroll. Gai told us to wait for him in the cave till six."

"So?"

"It's five-thirty."

"Thirty minutes? Are you insane!"

"We're fast. You know that."

"What if Lee or Gai come?"

"I'll see them before they do."

"What if enemy ninja come?"

"…same thing."

"But then – we'll be – _tired _– how will we fight?"

"One time is _nothing _for us and you know it."

"You're crazy."

"Stop denying it when it's so obvious you want to."

"Yes but – mmph… oh god… kami-sama… do that again… aah… don't stop…"

XOXOXOXOX

"Neji!" Tenten shrieked, pulling the towel closer to her, droplets of water rolling down her wet hair, which was plastered to her back.

He pulled her to him, staring at her with a hungy, _predatory _look in his eyes which made her stomach flutter.

"H-how did you even – get in – here?" she asked, pulling the fluffy material closer as his fingers curled around the edges, tugging slightly.

"I may have had to air-palm your door," he whispered, his breath hot against her cheek, his tongue flicking out to lick up a single droplet of water.

"What?"

His lips moved along her cheek, to the corner of her mouth.

"I fixed it. Don't worry."

His lips meshed against hers, and they kissed for a few moments, before he slipped his tongue between hers, the towel sliding to the floor. Her arms looped around his neck, her fingers entangling in his hair as she desperately pulled him closer. His own hands were wandering all over her bare torso.

Suddenly realizing their situation, Tenten pulled away, blushing crimson as she grabbed her towel, attempting to cover herself.

Neji's lips tilted upwards, eyes crinkling slightly.

"A bit late for modesty now, don't you think?" he asked.

Tenten flushed.

"You know I was having a shower…"

"I can see that."

"Well – could you just – wait for a few minutes? I'll finish really quick and then change and then –"

"I have a better idea," he murmured huskily, his hands squeezing her hips.

"You want to join me?" she asked coyly, raising one eyebrow.

"Something like that…"

XOXOXOXOX

"Good morning!" Tenten said brightly, admiring the view as her lover stretched, the blankets slipping off his chiseled torso.

"We missed training again, didn't we?" Neji asked, rubbing his eyes, his hair unusually disheveled.

"Yep. Though I think we got enough exercise for at least three training sessions last night!" she informed him chirpily, "I made you breakfast, by the way!"

Tenten gestured to a tray that she held in her hands.

Neji didn't pay much attention – his eyes were raking over _her_ instead.

Her hair was loose, falling in beautiful waves over her shoulders, slightly tousled from sleep. She was clad only in a white shirt – _his _white shirt, part of his traditional Hyuuga robes. Neji never thought he'd consider the garment even _slightly _sexy. But the way Tenten was wearing it… it was far too large for her, and one side had slipped down, revealing a creamy white shoulder. It barely reached mid-thigh, revealing tantalizing amounts of smooth legs, toned to perfection by years of being in her profession.

"I'm not hungry," he said hoarsely, his voice still scratchy from sleep.

He held out a hand, and she giggled, taking it, allowing him to yank her towards him, his hands skirting over her back, and then lower, sliding under the bottom of white shirt to rest on the lace of her underwear.

She blushed – he found it adorable that she still continued to blush at his touches, despite the fact that they'd been physically intimate for a couple years.

"Well, maybe you need to _train _more," Tenten winked at him, the suggestive tone in her voice extremely obvious. "Then you'll be hungry."

Neji smirked, fingering the red lace (of course he knew the color).

"Good idea."

XOXOXOXOX

Neji smiled to himself, stroking the brown hair fanned messily over the white pillow. The moonlight illuminated her face, her delicate features, and for some reason he couldn't sleep. Closing his eyes only deprived himself of the sight of her, and though he'd kept his Byakugan activated for the first few minutes, it just wasn't the same.

His fingers brushed away her bangs, and he leaned down, kissing her forehead.

Telling Gai and Lee about the relationship hadn't been as traumatizing as they'd expected.

Of course, there had been incessant waggling of bushy-brows, proclamations of youth and love, tears and sunsets – but they now also enjoyed the added perk of Neji being allowed to share a room with Tenten during missions.

It wasn't as if he hadn't before. Since Tenten had been the only female, she'd always been given her own separate room while Neji, Lee and Gai shared. They respected her privacy well enough, though even as a genin, Neji used to spend most of his time in Tenten's room, at least when the hours were appropriate to do so.

Over the last few months he'd begun sneaking in, at terribly inappropriate hours. But then he always had to make sure he woke up extra early, and snuck back into his own room or tent, so that Lee and Gai wouldn't discover his absence.

This was far better, Neji thought, finally giving in to sleep, as he lay down next to his lover, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her towards him, burying his face into her sweet, honey-scented hair.

At least in the morning, when he woke up, it would be to the feeling of Tenten slumbering in his arms – a feeling far more pleasant than the rage he'd felt that one morning when he discovered Lee had accidentally rolled on top of him, leading to an extremely awkward position for them both.

XOXOXOXOX

_A/N – ooh, writing that was fun =) I'm blushing though. I feel embarrassed for posting it. The first bit actually came to me as a dream. Yes I'm insane, and lucky. Insane that I dream of such things. Lucky that I had such a delicious NejiTen dream._

_So then I had to write it. I know it's CRAZILY out of character, clichéd, sappy, smutty and all that. But damn, it was satisfying to write =)_

_Please review, if you liked this! _


	11. NejiTen: Antidote

_**Warning: Rated M for lemon, i.e., explicit sexual scenes. Please do not proceed if you are underage or if that sort of thing disturbs you**_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto_

_Author's Note: I'm too embarrassed to write a proper one. I've been itching to get this down, and here it is. A lemon. With NejiTen smut. I've probably butchered it horrifically due to my inability to write a sex scene, but oh well. Hope you enjoy it. Review please – or don't. =P_

_._

_.._

_..._

_.._

_.  
_

"Well?" Tenten demanded, as the pink-haired kunoichi pursed her lips.

There was a mix of shock, fear and - amusement - on Sakura's face, as she examined the bloody senbon she had just pulled out of Tenten's arm a few minutes prior.

"It was poisoned," Sakura said finally.

"So why aren't you drawing it out?" Tenten inquired, confused.

"I - can't. It's too deep in your bloodstream. It pierced you two hours ago, and I can't extract poison that's in that deep..." Sakura said regretfully.

"Don't you have an antidote?" Tenten asked, now feeling rather apprehensive, "And what does it do? Nothing life-threatening, I hope!"

"_I_ couldn't administer the antidote," Sakura muttered, and Tenten was surprised to see her blush, "And it'll probably paralyze you if you don't do something within the next twenty-four hours..."

"What?" Tenten shrieked hysterically, "What do you mean you can't administer it? You're a medic! And - I can't - I'm a kunoichi -"

Sakura cut her off, shoving a medical scroll in Tenten's face.

"The cure's written on that," she said, none too helpfully, "Get one of your - teammates to help you or something... I'm sorry, but that's all I can do. There _is _no other way."

She looked meaningfully at Tenten, and Tenten noticed her green eyes were sparkling mischievously, though she had no clue why the hell that was so.

Five minutes later, after she read the contents of the scroll, her body numb from shock, and hot all over, she realized the cause of Sakura's odd behavior.

"Damnit!" Tenten cursed, cursing both those _stupid _enemyninja (why couldn't they use _normal _poison in their stupid senbon) and the amazing situation she had got herself into.

_The only way to counteract the poison is to engage in sexual intercourse with a male. The stimulation and mixing of fluids that will result will be able to neutralize the effects of the poison almost immediately._

"Lovely," Tenten muttered sarcastically, her heart pounding, "Just lovely."

.

..

...

..

.

"Damnit," Tenten cursed for the fifteenth time as she trudged down the well-worn path.

Pain, she could handle. She was a kunoichi.

But _sex? _She hadn't even _kissed _anyone. Her idea of fun was training with Neji until she collapsed from utter exhaustion.

Neji.

That was her other problem.

Frigid, ice-cold, gentlemanly, proper, devastatingly gorgeous Neji Hyuuga.

Her team-mate, who she'd crushed on since her genin days.

The boy - or man? - they were nineteen after all - she'd been in love with ever since the time he'd caught her in his arms when fighting Kisame, asking her in soft, worried tones if she was alright.

Tenten had fought valiantly against these emotions, but had failed. Miserably.

The boy was _too _attractive and well-mannered for his own good. And she'd grown onto his frigid demeanor, which she also noticed lessened considerably when she was around.

They were best friends, and she'd managed to hide her infatuation with him from his all-seeing (beautiful) Byakugan eyes.

She didn't want to compromise that.

But what the hell was she supposed to do? Who was she supposed to ask?

The idea of asking her other teammate - Lee - for help, was utterly revolting. She considered him as a brother, and the spandex clad, overly enthusiastic shinobi was just too - _Gai-ish _for her liking. Though she had a feeling he _would _agree, just to help her, it would be mortifying and far too awkward. And unwanted.

No, Lee was more like an innocent little brother. She couldn't do that to him.

Gai wouldn't let her hear the end of it either, if she were to ruin his _youth._

Tenten grimaced.

Lee and Neji were the only male friends she had, that she trusted, that she was close to.

Lee was out of question... which left just Neji.

Neji was her best friend, and vice-versa. Though he'd never been intimate or affectionate with her, Tenten knew that he genuinely liked and cared for her. They trained together on a daily basis, and often lunched together as well. What had initially been tolerance had blossomed into a beautiful, platonic relationship, if one were to ignore Tenten's feelings for her teammate.

But still - she didn't exactly want permanent paralysis either. She was a kunoichi - how the hell would she wield a weapon?

The thought was too terrifying entirely.

But even more terrifying was the prospect of asking Neji to - _help _her out of her little - conundrum.

What the hell was she supposed to say to him?

'Hi Neji,' she imagined herself piping up cheerfully, 'Will you please have sex with me? No - it's not because I'm in love with you! It's just because I got stabbed by a senbon during that last mission we went on, and if you don't fuck me hard, the poison will paralyze me for good!'

It sounded idiotic in her head, though it elicited the most delightful images in her mind. Tenten blushed all over, imagining a half-naked Neji Hyuuga, pressing her against a wall, her fingers scraping against that tantalizing, smooth, hard chest (she'd never seen it, for he was too conservative, but hell, with the amount the boy trained - and she _would _know that...) as he took absolute advantage of her, his hands wandering over her body - damnit, if she focused on the image long enough, she could probably come there and then.

(She'd fantasized many a night about the same thing...)

Sadly, the bloody poison required _male _fluids as well, so that wouldn't quite do the trick.

_But who hell will you go to? _her mind challenged, _You don't trust any other shinobi well enough, and you probably wouldn't get off on them either. Besides, you know you want Neji badly. You always have... and he'll probably agree. He cares for you, and he's logical. He won't want to lose his sparring partner.  
_  
As she trudged towards the Hyuuga compound, feeling utterly idiotic and rather terrified, she hoped and prayed that the prospect of having to train with _Lee and Gai _- and Lee and Gai only - would revolt Neji enough into having sex with her...

.

..

...

..

.

It was nighttime when she entered the compound - Neji was probably getting ready for bed. The guard let her in, of course. The Hyuuga, though quite insular, never had problems with Tenten entering, even at rather unearthly hours. Usually, this had to do with training with Neji, so it was fine.

Feeling incredibly stupid, her heart racing with anticipation, Tenten finally gathered the guts to knock timidly on Neji's door.

A few seconds later, he opened it.

White eyes narrowed, by a fraction.

"Tenten?" he asked, his baritone voice sending shivers down her spine.

She nearly died at the sight of him.

He was wearing a white shirt, and dark pants, which were a bit tighter than his usual clothes, hanging off his frame and barely accentuating his physique. His forehead protector was off, and though bandages covered the green curse mark, they allowed his long hair to frame his perfect face.

_How the hell am I going to do this? _Tenten wondered.

She was turned on at the very sight of him.

"Is something the matter?" he asked politely, and she detected a hint of concern in his voice.

She must have looked terrible - she was on the verge of tears, and she had no idea why.

"It's - ah - difficult," Tenten began, fumbling for words.

"Come inside," he offered, stepping back slightly, and she followed, nearly jumping when he shut the door after her.

She was in Neji Hyuuga's room. Alone. At night.

(This wasn't the first time, but then again, she'd never come to beg him for sex...)

Tenten fidgeted with a kunai, biting her lips. She felt Neji's white-eyed gaze on her, as he stood, about a meter away from her, patiently waiting for her to speak.

Tenten only blushed.

"Tenten?" Neji pressed, an impatient edge to his voice.

"Neji," Tenten mumbled, choosing to stare at the floor instead of his handsome face, "Neji - what would you do - if one of your teammates was in danger - and - only you could save them?"

"What's wrong, Tenten?" he asked immediately, picking up on the unasked questions.

His voice was full of concern, and it raised her spirits - slightly. Of course, a part of her was already high from the delicious idea of being ravaged by Neji Hyuuga.

"I - I - was injured by a senbon during the mission right?"

"..." Neji was silent, his white eyes boring into her, waiting for her to continue.

"And well - it was poisoned and - well the cure is - it's rather - _awkward, _you see..." Tenten rambled, "And I'm sorry I've come her to ask you - but you're my - teammate - and I trust you - and I didn't know who to ask - because if - I'll be paralyzed if I don't get the - um - antidote within a day - so - yeah - um -"

"What is it, Tenten?" Neji asked flatly, placing two fingers under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his intense white ones.

Tenten felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach at his touch.

"Will you - will you have sex with me?" she blurted out, almost immediately covering her mouth.

Neji let go of her almost immediately, looking absolutely stunned for a few moments, white eyes wide, before he gained control over his facial expression and set it back into an unreadable mask.

"I'm sorry, I believe I misheard you," he said slowly, his voice unbelievably smooth, "Could you - repeat that?"

"I - it's nothing - I'm sorry!" Tenten babbled, face red from shame, "But those - _stupid ninja - _the damned poison - Sakura showed me her medic scrolls - _stupid _scrolls - it can only be neutralized by - by - _doing it_! And - I _couldn't _ask Lee-"

"So you're asking me instead?" he finished, raising a delicate eyebrow, his face blank.

"You don't have to," Tenten said immediately, "Ignore I even said anyth-"

"Paralysis, you said," Neji questioned, and he seemed to be considering something deeply.

_He couldn't be... _Tenten thought, almost gleefully.

"Y-yeah," she muttered, hanging her head, "Sucks, right? I'll probably have to give up on being a ninja..."

_Pity me. Please, please pity me, _she prayed.

She really liked being a ninja. She also really liked Neji.

"And - and this has to be done - within the next twenty-four hours?"

His voice sounded slightly strained.

"Yep," Tenten mumbled sarcastically, "Brilliant, right?"

He was silent for a few moments, and Tenten was as well, not daring to say more, or look at his face.

The awkwardness was killing her. She and Neji had _never _been awkward when alone together. Then again, she'd never asked Neji for sex.

"You know what, forget I even said anything," Tenten suddenly spoke up, her heart sinking, "I'll just - go to - one of the brothels - there will be drunk shinobi - you're my teammate, I should never have put you in a position-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Neji scoffed, and when Tenten finally gathered the courage to look at him, his white eyes were blazing.

"If you think I'm going to allow you to - lose yourself to one of those inebriated _barbarians _- you're mistaken, Tenten."

His words were cold, sharp, his tone oddly acerbic.

"S-sorry," Tenten stammered, feeling increasingly ridiculous, "I just - I don't know what to do?"

Neji gazed at her for a moment, before placing a warm hand on her shoulder and leading her towards the bed. He gently nudged her, and she sat down, staring at him out of wide brown eyes.

"N-Neji?" she asked tentatively, as he sat down beside her, closer than usual.

His leg was brushing hers, and he continue to gaze at her, before lifting his hand up to her hair.

Tenten gasped, as with a few deft movements, he managed to unravel both her buns, releasing her tightly bound hair and allowing it to cascade around her shoulders in long curls.

He gently combed his fingers through her hair, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"What are you-" she began uncertainly, transfixed by his pearly eyes.

"You have beautiful hair," he murmured huskily.

The tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine, though she wondered what the _hell _he was doing.

"You should leave it down more often," Neji said

"Oh - um - thanks!" Tenten flushed, looking in the opposite direction, "But it - get's in the way you know - missions..."

Neji smirked slightly, and Tenten felt to hands resting lightly on her hips - Neji's hands.

She froze, as he snaked his arms around her from the back, his hands resting on her tummy, and he pulled her slightly towards him, her back resting on his hard chest.

Tenten thought she had died and gone to heaven.

"Tenten, you need to relax," he told her, his voice low and tickling her ear.

She felt a hand go up - brushing lightly, barely a feather touch - against her cheek, as it tucked her hair behind her ear.

"What are you doing?" she finally managed to choke out.

When he spoke again, his lips brushed against the shell of her ear, and she shivered.

"Administering your antidote," he replied silkily, and Tenten's heart skipped a beat.

Neji slipped his hands away from her, turning her so that she faced him.

His eyes held that same intense gaze as they bore into hers, and she could detect the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

Tenten couldn't believe her ears - Neji - Neji Hyuuga - her teammate and the love of her life - was _actually _going to have sex with her?

She found herself thanking those enemy ninja with a rush of gratitude.

She stared at him, starry-eyed, and his smirk grew, ever so slightly.

"I'll make sure you enjoy it," he promised, and Tenten was _quite _sure he would.

Neji was a genius that way.

A genius who was about the fuck her senseless.

His hands made their way to the buttons of her shirt, the beautiful, slender _deadly _fingers undoing the buttons, one by one.

_Neji Hyuuga is undressing me! _she realized with a jolt, her breath catching.

She felt suddenly self-conscious, as he undid the last button, his fingers slipping under the hem of her top, knuckles brushing against the bare skin of her stomach and sending exhilarating tremors through her body. She tensed though, and he seemed to realize.

"May I?" he asked gently, and sensing her unease, he continued, his voice soft and comforting, something she'd never heard from him before.

"Don't worry," he murmured, "I won't hurt you. Just relax, Tenten, you'll enjoy it more."

_Enjoy it? _she felt light-headed.

Hell, she was already enjoying it.

But he couldn't blame a girl for feeling self-conscious in front of him.

He was so perfectly formed - with his aristocratic chiseled features, pale, unmarked skin, and an undoubtedly godly physique.

His callused fingers were now tracing delicately up and down her back, along the ridges of her spine, and Tenten found herself melting to his touch, heat pooling to the area between her thighs.

He seemed to realize the effect his ministrations were having on her, and continued, his fingers sliding across the bare skin of her back, before moving to her waist, and squeezing, ever so slightly.

"Tenten?" he entreated huskily and she could only nod dumbly, allowing him to slide the material off her shoulders, revealing her to his gaze.

Tenten almost instinctively bought her hands up, but he grabbed her wrists, gently lowering them.

"You're beautiful."

His eyes were smoldering, and his voice was husky, and Tenten felt herself grow wet.

But the sensation was nothing - compared to the devastating thing he did next.

White eyes locked with wide, sparkling brown ones, Neji raised a hand, brushing a thumb over a hard nipple through the lacy material of her bra.

Tenten gasped, and he smirked, repeating his action.

Neji then placed both his hands on her breasts, squeezing softly through the cloth, his fingers brushing over her nipples.

"Ne-ji," Tenten gasped again, unable to process the fact that he was doing something so unbelievably erotic to her.

Neji leaned forward, his lips brushing her collarbone as his hands slid to her back.

With a quick flick of fingers, he'd unclasped the garment, easing it off her shoulders, revealing her bare breasts to him.

His warm, callused hands covered them again, and he fondled them, still incredibly gentle.

His fingers touched her hardened nubs, pinching lightly, and twisting them gently, forcing her to arch upwards, pushing herself against his hands.

Neji smiled, almost smugly, and leaned forward, capturing a nipple in his mouth, and Tenten moaned loudly.

He dragged his teeth against the flesh, his tongue swirling and licking it languidly, before sucking slightly.

"Nejiiii," Tenten moaned, louder this time, and his fingers tangled themselves in her hair.

Tenten herself was grasping at the sheets of the bed - _his sheets _- as he continued to roll her nipple between his tongue and teeth, teasing her in the most pleasurable way possible.

He soon pulled away slightly, his lips ghosting over her chest to pleasure the other one, while Tenten moaned and writhed beneath him.

She barely realized as Neji pushed her backwards, easing her onto the mattress, gracefully sliding on top of her.

He removed his hands, sliding them down her stomach to finger with the waistband of her capris,pressing his hard body flush against hers.

His shirt was off soon - the impatient genius had just substituted it with a kunai, being too impatient to move his body off of Tenten's long enough to remove it properly - and he tossed the kunai over to the table next to his bed, where it clattered against the wood before laying still.

Tenten's eyes widened at the gloriously naked chest in front of her.

She had to close her gaping mouth - she didn't want to drool all over him.

She flushed when she noticed Neji eying her in amusement, his lips quirked upwards.

She couldn't help ogling him though - he was _divine._

Hard, smooth chest with pectorals and washboard abs, and sinewy muscles which rippled when he moved. His arms were built as well, with lean, corded muscles - Tenten marveled at her luck - he was _perfect._

"You seem to be liking what you see, hm, Tenten," he commented teasingly, and she turned red.

It suddenly struck her that he was dragging the entire act quite slowly - not that she minded - but it was unlike him.

She hadn't expected him to agree, but even if she had, a quick, efficient penetration was really all that she'd expected.

But all this foreplay, and act of him pleasuring her - that wasn't expected at all.

Still Tenten wasn't about to complain, as he pressed his hard, naked chest to hers, bare skin brushing bare skin. She ran her hands over his muscled back, biting back a shriek as she felt his fingers slip under her pants, trailing teasingly across the skin of her upper thigh.

Neji tugged the cloth, moving to turn it off, a task which was proving rather tedious.

His eyes narrowed impatiently, and he swiftly pulled his hands out, leaning over the bed (and giving Tenten a perfect view of his chest) to swipe something off the dresser table.

It was a kunai, and Tenten's eyes widened as he teasingly trailed the cold metal between the valley of her breasts across the taut surface of her stomach. She felt herself heat up instantly, moisture pooling to her private regions.

Neji smirked.

"You've always had a fascination with weapons, haven't you?" he asked, as he continued to tease her with the weapon, dragging it lightly across her bare skin.

He didn't cut her, obviously - the touch was too light - but Tenten had always been obsessed with weapons, and the notion of Neji teasing her so erotically with one was enough to make her explode.

Suddenly, with one swift and precise swift of the kunai, red cloth tore, and Tenten's tattered capris were off.

"Neji!" she almost shrieked, red with embarrassment and delight.

His white eyes seemed to darken with lust as he surveyed her, slipping a hand between her thighs, gently nudging them apart with his fingers.

Tenten complied, opening herself up to him, dripping wet before he had even touched her. She waited, craving his touch on her bare skin.

Neji seemed to realize this, and instead, picked up the kunai again, trailing it up and down her inner thigh, one hand clamped around her hip to make sure she didn't move and accidentally injure herself.

"Nejiii..." Tenten pleaded, not caring how _longing _she sounded.

He was in complete control of her now - there was no use fighting him.

It was odd really. because she fought with him every day, struggling to assert her power, refusing to yield to him, or let him have an upper hand.

But tonight was difference - tonight Neji was doing delicious things to her naked body with his lips and hands, and Tenten wouldn't be able to resist him at all. She would give herself to him, for once, without even the slightest struggle.

Neji realized this, and obviously liked it, hardening as his body responded to Tenten's unusually pliant and willing form below him. Her hair was loose and fanned out beneath her head, and she was gazing at him in adoration, her cheeks flushed; Tenten had always been a strong, determined kunoichi, and seeing her so _vulnerable, _so _willing, _was a rare sight, and one which Neji found himself enjoying immensely.

He teased her for a few moments with the kunai, his lips and tongue licking and sucking burning paths down her collarbone, her shoulder, her breasts, before he finally discarded the weapon and allowed himself the liberty of placing his hands on the perfectly curved, toned thighs.

Tenten whimpered, as Neji slowly ran his hands up and down the inner length of her thighs, his fingers stroking the flesh lovingly. His mouth and tongue were at her earlobe, teasing and biting almost playfully, as Tenten moaned something incoherent.

He had yet to kiss her on the lips, though if Tenten had registered this, her mind was spinning and muddled, and she no longer remembered or _cared._

Neji's fingers ghosted across her ass, cupping the flesh, his fingers pressing into it, squeezing softly.

Tenten gave a little moan, and he dipped his head downwards to take on of her nipples in his mouth, swirling it around with his tongue.

"Neji - p-please," Tenten was whimpering, and though she didn't complete her sentence, he knew exactly what she wanted.

Neji brushed his thumb against her sex through her panties, smirking at the moisture which had dripped through.

She _really _wanted him bad.

Not that he was in a better state; Neji was just excellent at self-control, though even he felt he would break sometime soon.

Tenten gasped, bucking her hips forward, and Neji finally gave into his urge, pulling her panties off with one fluid motion.

He ran his hands over her abdomen, her inner thighs, her ass, not quite giving her what he wanted as he took in the pink lips of her womanhood, sleek and waiting to be touched.

"Neji, please," Tenten pleaded, and he surveyed her, an elegant eyebrow raised.

"What is it?" he asked, almost mockingly.

_Arrogant asshole, _a part of her mind seemed to say, but she was too taken by him to care.

"T-touch me," she whimpered, rather pitifully.

"I am touching you," he pointed out almost tonelessly.

If only she'd been in her senses (and Neji had not been touching her so intimately in ways that made her melt) she would have scowled, or glared at him for his teasing. Perhaps she would have even whipped out a pair of nunchaks to clobber him with.

"Neji, please," she begged again, "You - you know what I mean..."

"I'm afraid I do not," he said devilishly, "Enlighten me?"

She just made a strangled sound - half-growl, half-moan, before finally relenting to him, allowing him to tease her mercilessly, not realizing how much of her dignity she was compromising in front of her teammate, who was now in absolute control of her.

And Neji knew this.

Of course, he'd never use it against her, except in situations like this one.

"Tell me what you want, Tenten," he whispered, his breath hot in her ear, "And I _swear _I'll give it to you..."

Tenten's heart leapt wildly at his words, at his voice, but when she opened her mouth, she found she couldn't speak.

"Neji..." she groaned again, her body moving under his wandering fingers.

He tortured her for a few more moments, his mouth working wonders on the slender column of her neck, before he finally relieved her, sliding one finger into her sex, rubbing it against the wet muscle.

Tenten moaned loudly, her hips jerking upwards, but he restrained her with his body, pressing against her as he moved his finger inside of her, reveling in the wet warmth.

Tenten moaned again, and he angled his head forward, his breath ghosting against her lips. He could feel her heartbeat quicken under his other palm, that was placed against her breast, as he swirled his finger around inside of her, before slipping in another finger.

"Nejiiii," Tenten begged, her face one of utmost ecstasy, as Neji's fingers explored her sex, rubbing up against her clit.

She nearly screamed when they brushed her sensitive nub, and Neji added a third finger, stroking a little faster. A few seconds later she felt something tingling - it was electrifying - and she had to bite back a scream.

The sensation overcame her again - her clit was throbbing pleasurably from the emotion - but she didn't think she'd come yet...

"Wh-what did you do?" she gasped.

Neji gazed at her with a predatory look that sent shivers down her spine, before sliding two fingers out, and plunging them into her again. Tenten felt another pleasurable surge that made her jerk her hips uncontrollably.

"Aaaaaaaahhhh," she shrieked, and Neji leaned closer, dark strands of his hair brushing against her cheeks.

"It's chakra," he whispered huskily, his lips moving against her cheek, not shy of her mouth.

_Bloody genius_, Tenten thought, feeling rather exhilarated.

It was the Gentle Fist, in a sense - the same two chakra-powered fingers that Neji rammed into his opponents to plug off their chakra points were now rubbing against her clit, sending out gentler streams of chakra - and it was an incredible, phenomenal feeling.

He suddenly moved away, and Tenten missed his warmth, the feeling of his hard chest against hers - when she felt something wet, and absolutely _amazing _moving against her already tingling sex.

"NEJIIIIIIIII!"

She screamed his name loudly this time, and she swore she felt him smirk against her thigh, before he returned to this new devastating method of torture, running his tongue along her sensitized folds, licking and sucking almost hungrily, as his fingers continued to plunge deeper and deeper.

She shrieked and moaned, clutching at fistfuls of his dark, silky hair, but this only served to encourage him, as he met her dark gaze with half-lidded silvery eyes, before increasing his pace.

She felt the pleasure build within her, spiraling upwards, until it finally burst out, like a dam.

She came a few seconds later, spilling over his fingers and into his mouth, and she was shocked as he stayed their, lapping her fluids up with his tongue.

She whimpered as he clambered back onto her, feeling exhausted, but Neji didn't seem to be done yet.

"I wanted to prepare you first," he murmured, before kissing her on the temple.

Tenten's heart warmed up at the gesture.

Neji swiftly discarded his pants, and his boxers, and Tenten's eyes grew wide as she took in the length of him.

He was long, wide, hard - and when she tentatively reached out to wrap her hands around him, he felt like silken steel.

Neji inhaled deeply at her touch, eyes clouding over, and Tenten squeezed, feeling rather bold, and incited by the delicious expression on his usually stoic face.

He was throbbing in her hands, and Tenten allowed her fingers to wander over his length, before Neji finally caught her wrist, almost roughly, and pushed her back onto the bed, pinning her hands down.

His eyes were glinting, and as he nudged her thighs apart with his knee, Tenten realized he was dominating her again.

_I'll pay him back for this in the future, _her mind hazily resolved, _Maybe next time... when I'm better - prepared._

This time, she was far too overwhelmed to care about dignity and kunoichi being equally powerful - things which she would normally argue with Neji about. This time she just wanted him to have his way with her, no matter how chauvinistic it would seem.

His hand squeezed her breast once, before his fingers were tickling her sex again.

He positioned himself above her, his white eyes staring into her.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly, his voice slightly hoarse - he was shaking, and Tenten realized that he was obviously trying very hard to control himself.

She nodded numbly, entranced by his eyes, and the moonlight dancing off of his handsome face.

She felt his cock rubbing against her sex, and then suddenly, a sharp pain, as he gradually lowered himself into her.

She cried out, and Neji immediately stilled his actions, concern on his features.

"Are you alright?" he asked immediately, and she clenched her teeth, nodding.

He pushed him a bit more, and this time, Tenten bit back her lip.

She was used to pain - but he was quite large, and he was stretching her muscles.

Finally, once he was fully sheathed within her, he stopped, and Tenten allowed herself to fully experience the extraordinary feeling.

They were teammates, but they were so intimate, and he was _inside _her, hot and throbbing.

Neji looked at her, raising an eyebrow, and understanding, Tenten nodded.

He began moving inside of her, slowly, gently at first.

Soon, Tenten felt the pain fade away, until it was overcome by the mounting pleasure.

He began moving faster and faster, his length rubbing sensually against her slick sides, as he thrust in and out in an erotic rhythm.

"Aaah - Nejiii - ahhhh," she moaned as he moved against her.

His face was covered with a translucent sheen of sweat, his white eyes boring into hers. His Byakugan was activated, though she never noticed when he'd done it, and the veins pulsing around his eyes made him look scarily attractive. She could see the muscles of his chest and arms ripple almost artistically as he plunged into her, again and again and again.

She came again, for the second time that night, and not long after, she could feel him come as well.

He filled her, with hot, thick seed, before he collapsed on top of her, exhausted as well, his hands running absently down the back of her thighs.

Tenten entangled her fingers with his hair, feeling the steady beat of his heart, and his warm breaths against the crook of her neck.

"N-Neji," she gasped, "Th-that was-"

But he cut her off, placing a finger against her lips, pushing himself up so that he could rake his eyes over her body.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked uncertainly, but he shook his head, silently telling her not to disturb him.

After a few moments he finally spoke, rolling off of her and laying on the mattress besides her, deactivating his kekkai genkai.

"The poison seems to have been neutralized," he said briskly, and Tenten was completely lost for a moment, before it dawned on her.

She felt suddenly awkward - she had _completely _forgotten about that - in all her lust and desire for Neji - damn, she owed him a thank you - and an apology, she supposed.

Not only had he given her amazing, mind-blowing sex - he'd also saved her career as a ninja.

"Thank you," she began, peering at him shyly, but he shook his head, his voice oddly thick.

"Don't mention it, Tenten," Neji murmured, before tossing his shirt at her.

"Here, put this on," he said, and Tenten did, slowly, her mind in a haze, heart pounding.

_Have I messed everything up?_

She hugged the white cotton around her, inhaling the delicious _Neji-ish _smell of the material, enjoying the feeling of it against her bare skin, as Neji sat back down on the bed, now clad in silky black boxers.

They both gazed at each other for a few moments, silent, wondering what to say.

Neji's confident and teasing manner seemed to have disappeared, and his face was serious again.

"I guess I should apologize," Tenten attempted after a few awkward moments of silence, but Neji shook his head.

"Anything to save you," he murmured, and Tenten felt her heart crack.

She should have known, of course - it was stupid to get her hopes up - he hadn't even kissed her on the lips, and he probably considered it his duty as her teammate to help her out... still, the way he'd practically worshiped her body made her wonder, if...

"Thanks," Tenten mumbled, her eyes downcast.

"But Tenten," Neji said, his fingers brushing against her cheek, and she looked up, heart skipping.

"Y-yeah?"

Neji leaned forward, sliding his lips over hers, in a tender kiss, before he pulled away.

"I enjoyed it. And I'm glad you're my first."

Tenten felt unbelievable joy blossoming in her chest, and she wordlessly allowed him to pull her towards his chest, his lips covering hers again, as he eased her back onto the pillows.

"Mm, Neji," she murmured, rolling them both over until she was straddling him.

He placed his hands on her hips, and raised an eyebrow, surveying her.

"Well," Tenten bit her lip shyly, her finger twiddling with a lock of brown hair, "Do you think - we should - you know - just as a precautionary measure, in case all the poison isn't gone..."

Neji's eyes immediately glazed over, and she felt him harden against her.

"I suppose you are correct," he drawled, sounding amused, "After all, one can never be too careful, not in these kind of circumstances."

He placed a hand on the collar of _his _shirt she was wearing, yanking her down till her lips mashed against his.

_This time, Hyuuga, _Tenten resolved, _I'm dominating._

_._

_.._

_..._

_.._

_.  
_

It was quite a passionate battle, neither _sparring partner _backing down.

But Tenten, finally, managed to - assert herself.

She was the Weapons Mistress of Konoha after all.

If Neji could use kunai - well... she had scrolls and scrolls of chains, nunchaks, shuriken... all of which she knew perfectly well how to use, with a deadly skill and precision.

.

..

...

..

.

_Author's Note: (blushes) yeah, well – um... whatever. Probably failed at this miserably, but had to get it out of my system. _

_I just have to credit one story – 'Venom' by BlushingLotus. It's a SasuSaku story, which a friend recommended to me earlier. I'd been writing a story (elaborating on chapter 7 of Confrontation) where Tenten get's poisoned and Neji has to suck it out (in more graphic detail than the scene in Confrontation) and then that leads to fiery moments which leads to smexx =P But then after reading 'Venom' I altered the plot slightly... so thank you BlushingLotus for inspiring me, and I hope you don't mind that I've somewhat used your plot, since I am crediting you =S Oh, and any SasuSaku fans here must read that, it's epic and plain orgasmic. _


	12. NejiTen: At the beach

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto_

_Author's Note – Um... okay, so a tamer chapter after that last one =P Anyways, this was inspired from the recent conversation and pictures posted on the NejiTen FC of Naruto Forums! I hope you like it, and please review =P_

_Thank you to all those who submitted wonderful reviews for the last chapter! I really appreciated them._

...

...

...

"Team! We have arrived at our destination in one third of the given time!" Gai boomed, shooting his three genin a blinding smile.

Lee beamed back, Neji was silent, and Tenten just rolled her eyes.

"What's the point in that?" she questioned, surveying the empty beach, "None of the other teams are here yet!"

"Exactly, dear flower," Gai said, guffawing, "Kakashi's late again, as usual!"

"Actually, we're early," Neji felt compelled to point out, his tone disgruntled.

He had never wanted to come here in the first place, but Tsunade-sama had insisted. She felt that after the rather –eventful – Chuunin exams, the Konoha genin deserved a break. She had sent Team Gai, along with the Rookie Nine and their instructors to a nearby beach.

It was a two hour journey by treetop – though Team Gai had made it in half an hour. Despite the fact that it was a break, Gai considered it a competition.

Neji considered the entire thing a criminal waste of time – he'd rather be training! Or doing a mission!

"Gai-sensei!" Lee cried, "If we travelled at quadruple-time, won't it take the other teams another hour and a half to reach!"

"Brilliant deduction, Lee!" Gai grinned, shooting him a thumbs up, "Your calculations are indeed correct!"

"Well, what are we going to do?" Tenten asked impatiently, "I don't want to sit around waiting for them!"

"Of course not!" Gai shouted, as if the very idea was blasphemous, "Get changed, my youthful students, and we will begin our special beach training immediately!"

"Beach training?" Lee asked, round eyes bugging out.

"Yes," Gai said, nodding, "It is advisable for ninja to train on a wide variety of ground types. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and you must suit your fighting style to the terrain your are fighting on. This will be good practice, if we are ever accosted on our way to Suna!"

"What youthful words of wisdom!" Lee sobbed, tears streaming down his face, "Gai-sensei is truly incredible!"

"Oh, Lee!" Gai exclaimed enthusiastically, "I knew you'd understand!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

They didn't even need the crashing waves this time – they were already there.

Neji turned his back to the disgusting display and settled himself down on the soft sand. If Gai was going to train them, maybe this trip would be worthwhile. But till then, he would meditate.

Tenten had disappeared somewhere – probably to change. Gai and Lee soon left as well, though Neji refused to wear something as degrading as swim trunks. He didn't even possess them.

...

...

...

"YOSH! I AM READY FOR THIS YOUTHFUL BEACH TRAINING NOW, GAI-SENSEI!" Lee emerged from nowhere, now sporting an ostentatious pair of green swim trunks with a pattern of turtles and frogs.

Neji immediately de-activated his Byakugan, closing his eyes in horror – that was an image he did _not _need.

He was thankful the boy wasn't wearing spandex.

Neji was cursing moments later, when Gai emerged, in all his glory, clad in nothing but a pair of bright green, tight, spandex swim briefs.

"Youthful indeed, Lee," he nodded, before turning sternly to Neji.

"Neji, I see you haven't-"

"No."

"But Neji, my boy-"

"_No."_

"Now let's not be unyouthful, Neji-"

Neji activated his Byakugan, giving Gai a blood-curdling glare.

He regretted it a moment later – he'd been scarred for life!

Luckily, the glare worked, and Gai shrugged mournfully, muttering something which Neji didn't care to listen to, before turning to Lee.

Neji returned to his meditation.

"Hey," Tenten's voice chirped, "I'm ready! Let's begin our training!"

Neji looked up, relieved that the saner part of their team had returned.

His mouth immediately went dry, and his heart gave a funny, weird little flutter.

That was Tenten?

The girl in front of him was dressed in a strapless green bikini – it was the skimpiest thing Neji had ever seen her wear in his life!

Tenten usually wore modest Chinese tops and capris which covered everything – and here she was in a tiny green contraption that barely covered _anything _at all! And he never knew Tenten even possessed – _those _kinds of clothes!

She had a matching green something – Neji wasn't sure what exactly – like a dark green piece of cloth tied around her waist – it had a symmetrical cut and left one entire leg completely bare.

_Completely bare._

And on the topic of bareness, her _stomach, her arms, her legs – _everything except – well practically _everything _was bare!

Long legs, perfectly toned from Gai's arduous training regimes... flat stomach, with a hint of abdominal muscles... so much smooth skin...

Damnit, what was wrong with him?

Neji surreptitiously turned away so he could cover his nose, feeling all the blood rush to his face.

He could still see her from the back of his head.

What was wrong with her?  
She was supposed to be a tomboy! His training partner.

She was not supposed to wear such – _things!_

And she was wearing little sandals, and her hair was down in two braids – Neji had never seen her with her hair down – he now realised how long it was. Since Tenten always wore her hair in two buns, he'd assumed it was short. And now it was long, and Neji had always liked long hair and... _no._

Neji forced chakra to his nose, stemming the nosebleed, and calmed himself down.

She was his teammate. Friend. Sparring partner.

She was not a piece of eye candy (well, actually she was) or someone for him to ogle at. She was _not, _at least in his opinion – stunningly hot.

Heck, she was just fourteen, the same age as he was!

No.

He was Neji Hyuuga.

But – _wow._

Gai and Lee seemed to have similar sentiments.

"Tenten!" Gai shouted, "You have truly bloomed, dear flower! You look youthful indeed!"

"Um... thanks?" Tenten muttered, looking slightly horrified.

"Tenten! You are beautiful!" Lee proclaimed, "Almost as beautiful as Sakura-chan!"

Far better, in Neji's opinion.

"Hahaha," Tenten laughed feebly, "Um, can we-"

"And you are dressed in matching green, like us!" Gai observed, "That is excellent! I am so happy you have decided to join us in wearing the youthful color green!"

"That's not why I wore it!" Tenten shrieked, looking regretful at her choice of clothes, "I never even _thought _of that when buying this! Though I should have..."

"So it was a subconscious decision!" Gai said wisely, "Which makes it all the more heartfelt..."

"Can we just start training!" Tenten begged.

"Alright," Gai agreed. "So, now that we're all here, let's start our training!"

Neji finally stood up, ensuring, with great difficulty, against his own will, that his eyes did not go anywhere near Tenten.

Gai produced two volleyballs, from absolutely nowhere, and tossed one to Neji. Neji caught it immediately, white eyes narrowing.

"Since we're at a beach I thought I'd make our training a bit more – beachy," Gai said, his teeth glinting, "The first exercise – is a volleyball match! We pair up and play, one on one, for thirty minutes!"

Neji panicked – not pairing up!

Usually, he preferred pairing up, because that meant he could get away from Gai and Lee and their boisterous antics. Tenten was far better company then them.

But today – with Tenten dressed like that – he would surely die!

"Volleyball isn't proper training," he chose to say, unable to voice his other thoughts.

"It can be," Gai said, "It requires flexibility, speed, reflexes-"

"But it's a civilian sport," Neji said condescendingly.

"We can modify it – to a much more challenging sport."

"Great idea, Gai-sensei!"

"Thank you Lee," Gai said, "Now, shall we pair up as usual? Lee and myself, Neji and Tenten?"

"Of course!" Lee said gleefully.

"Fine with me," Tenten said, looking at Neji.

Neji avoided her gaze, hesitating slightly.

"Hn," he grunted after a moment.

He didn't have a choice. He'd sparred alone with Tenten for over two years, preferring her over the other two. He'd even asked for her help during the Chuunin Exam. It would seem strange if he suddenly changed his mind now – and he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

Tenten walked towards him, and Neji finally raised his head. He wouldn't be able to avoid looking at her forever.

His stomach gave another funny leap, but this time he was able to control his blood flow. Good. He was getting used to it. It was no big deal at all.

"So, um – you wanna start?" Tenten asked, twirling with the end of her braid.

Neji noted that was something he'd never seen her do before. She usually used kunai – but now she had no kunai, and her hair was usually tied up...

"We have no nets," Neji stated, finally meeting her bright brown eyes.

"I can fix that!" Gai shouted, and a few hand seals and two clouds of smoke later, he'd summoned two large nets which stood between the pairs.

"Awesome!" Tenten cried, looking rather excited, before she turned to Neji, "Should we start?"

"Hn," he grunted noncommittally, but walked away all the same, taking position, the ball in his hand.

Tenten kicked off her sandals, and untied the green thing around her waist, leaving her just in a bikini.

Excellent. Now he could see both her beautiful legs – entirely.

Neji fought to control his raging hormones yet again.  
Focusing on the ball to clear his mind, he threw it up and hit it, hard.

It flew straight over the net, right at Tenten, far too fast to be a normal throw.

No civilian would have been able to dodge it, but Tenten was a ninja. She managed to side-step gracefully, and punch it back over the net, aiming it to the left corner of the court.

Neji smirked slightly – she'd always had perfect aim, he she was probably hitting it there on purpose.

It wasn't too much for him though, and he managed to spike it back.

She returned, and this time the ball curved sharply.

Neji had no idea how she'd managed that, and had to spin on his heel to return the hit; thanks to the hours of spinning practice he had with his Kaiten, that wasn't much of a problem.

...

...

...

They rallied for a while, and Neji was busy concentrating on the ball that he nearly forgot about Tenten's state of dress (or rather undress).

He realised why Gai had called this training – it required focus, speed, good reflexes, accuracy – it was a different kind of training altogether.

It was the type Tenten would be good at though – she'd always been good at aiming and hitting things.

A few minutes later, Neji tapped the ball rather lightly over the net.

His previous hit had sent Tenten to the back of the court, and he preferred making her run. She'd tire sooner than he would, and though her hits were harder and better aimed, she wasn't as fast as he was.

They were both strategizing, but like their sparring, they were almost equally matched.

Tenten raced forward, as the ball barely glanced over the top of the net.

She jumped up, right in front of the net, attempting to hit it over again.

Unfortunately, that action bought her chest in full view of Neji's eyes.

Neji froze, eyes widening, blood rushing somewhere wear it really shouldn't have been.

He was paralysed, for a few milliseconds, and in that time, Tenten had managed to whack the ball down again, straight at his head.

He was unable to react though, for the first few milliseconds, and stood there, transfixed, not noticing the ball whirring lethally towards his head.

When he did notice, it was too late to receive it or send it back.

Instinctively, doing the only thing Neji did whenever a large object (usually one of Tenten's insane weapons) came flying at him, he dug his heel into the sand, and began spinning around.

"Kaiten!" Neji shouted, emitting chakra.

The ball bounced off his chakra shield, spinning wildly towards a bewildered Tenten who barely managed to catch it.

Neji stopped his spinning, smirking slightly.

That had worked well, though he hadn't expected it.

Tenten was fuming.

"Neji!" she cried, "That was cheating! You can't just use jutsu like that in the middle of a game!"

"Neji!" Gai boomed, and Neji expected some lecture. To his surprise, Gai looked pleased.

"Neji, I am proud of you! You figured out the true meaning behind this activity! I said before we can modify this to a more challenging sport. What I meant by that in fact, is that you all are allowed to use your jutsu! Use them as creatively as possible! It will make the game all the more difficult – dodging your opponent's attacks, and getting the ball over the net! It requires true skill! Congratulations Neji, on having discovered this, and let's start again!"

"Wow! What a great idea, Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled ebulliently, "Let us start at once!"

Tenten however, glared at Neji through her brown bangs.

"Like you knew Gai expected that, Neji," she said, rather sulkily, and Neji couldn't help but smile, eyes flickering away from her chest.

"Shall we begin?" he asked her.

"Wait," Tenten said, "I'm getting my weapons."

"What use are weapons going to be in this?" Neji asked, "I think he meant taijutsu – and maybe ninjutsu – you'll only puncture the ball with your army."

"I will _not_," Tenten seethed, "And you'll soon find out!"

She flounced off towards where their bags had been kept, and Neji couldn't help but admire the view from the back.

She returned, a couple scrolls slipped under the strings tying the bottom part of her bikini together.

Neji gulped – was it really _that _loose? And were scrolls the only things that could... _no! NO!_

He could _not _possible entertain such thoughts.

She didn't seem to have kunai or shuriken though, unless she'd hidden them.

But it's not like she was wearing much in which she could hide them anyway... then again, it was Tenten. He'd have to be careful, and he certainly couldn't afford being distracted if she intended to skewer him with weapons.

"Ready?" she asked, and he nodded.

This time she served, and Neji was almost surprised when only a ball came flying at him, no kunai or shuriken following its path.

He struck it again, this time injecting some chakra into his palm.

It flew rapidly towards Tenten, who stared, wide-eyed, barely managing to send it back.

It was a poor return, but a volley of kunai followed it, and Neji barely had time to hit the ball, forget worry about direction, before he had to bat away the weapons sent at him.

The next return was also quite poor, but that didn't matter, because now she was throwing shuriken at him, and senbon as well.

He barely managed to send the ball back with a chakra-powered strike, along with two of the earlier kunai, and one shuriken, as he dodged and deflected the rest of her weapons.

The ball, for some reason, was blazing with chakra as it arced towards Tenten, and she was forced to summon some kind of a stick, which she whacked it with, sending it back over to Neji.

He sent it back, palm-thrusting again, and she returned again with the stick, the ball still sizzling with chakra.

It was a wonder the thing didn't burst; Neji suspected Gai had placed chakra guards around it.

They continued like that for a minute or two, the ball whizzing rapidly across the net, as Neji slid in and out of his Jyuuken katas, hitting the ball faster and faster with his fists. Tenten, similarly, was twisting and twirling with her sticks, pummelling the ball across the net.

If that ball had been an enemy ninja, it would have died a painful death.

A few seconds later, along with the ball, Tenten whipped out a huge chain.

"Kaiten!" Neji shouted, finding no other way to deflect the monstrosity.

When the chakra around him dissipated, he found that Tenten, amidst summoning weapons, had barely manage to spike the ball above the net – it was in the middle, and it could fall on either side.

Neji and Tenten both realised this, and charged forward.

Tenten sent another wave of weapons – shuriken, kunai, knives, fuuma shuriken – at him – some of them even cut through the net – and he spun into his Kaiten yet again, deflecting them all.

This time, when it cleared, there were weapons lying everywhere on the sand. The net had been reduced to tatters, and even the poles had been blasted by Neji's chakra. The ball, after being punctured by Tenten's weapons which Neji had deflected, had finally given in, and was a mass of white shreds.

Tenten was biting her lip, fiddling with a kunai.

She smiled at him sheepishly.

"I think we – overdid it," she muttered, and Neji, surveying the damage, nodded.

They turned to Gai and Lee, who were punching and kicking away at their volleyball.

"Leaf Spinning Wind!" Lee shouted, managing to hit a particularly low ball rather fantastically, and it whirred through the air at an impossible speed.

"Leaf Great Flash!" Gai roared in response, kicking the ball high into the air.

"Strong fist," Lee grunted, punching it over the net.

"Dynamic entry!" Gai bellowed, and the ball shot forward again.

"That's going to go on for a while," Tenten noted, "How long till the others get here?"

"About forty minutes," Neji said, not really caring.

"Hmm... wanna go for a swim?" Tenten asked.

It was a little before noon, and the sun was shining brightly.

The water looked cool, and inviting – and so did Tenten – but Neji didn't have swim trunks, and he didn't do asinine things like splash about in the water.

"No thank you," he replied instead, though Tenten shrugged.

"Oh – okay. Well, I'm going," she said, "It's scorching hot!"

'You're scorching hot' was the only response his mind provided him with, but he dared not vocalize it. He had far too much dignity for that.

And he didn't think it was a good idea for her to go swimming. The amazing control he had over his hormones would not persist with a dripping _wet _Tenten.

"You shouldn't go," Neji said, "The currents might be too strong."

"They're not," Tenten said, "That's why Tsunade-sama sent us here. Sakura, Naruto and the others are even bringing surfboards! And come _on _Neji, we're ninja! We can walk on water!"

Neji didn't know what argument to give to that, and soon Tenten was scampering away towards the waves.

He shook his hand, watching her go. At least he'd have some peace now, if he blocked out Gai and Lee's shouting. He could finally meditate, without her distracting him.

...

...

...

Neji had barely begun his meditation, when a loud shriek pierced the air.

"Tenten!" he shouted, eyes flying open and he sprang up, heart pounding.

Why would she cry out like that? Was she hurt? Where was she?

What he saw, however, annoyed him excruciatingly, though his worry vanished instantaneously.

Tenten had emerged, sputtering and coughing from beneath the water, her hair plastered against her face.

She was glaring murderously at a laughing Rock Lee.

"I'm sorry, Tenten!" Lee gasped, "But it was – so funny!"

"Are you crazy?" Tenten screeched, "Don't ever sneak up on me and dunk me like that!"

"But Tenten! What is I was an enemy ninja trying to drown you! Do you think I would give you a warning? You should have been more alert!"

"Moron, I thought you _were _an enemy ninja, which is why I was _so _close to sticking _this _into your face!" Tenten shot back, brandishing a large spear.

Lee looked taken aback, but then sobered down, nodding.

"I commend your instincts then, and sincerely apologize," he amended, and Tenten shot him one last glare before sending her spear into whatever dimension she had summoned it from.

"Aw, come on, Tenten!" Lee pouted, splashing her playfully, "Don't be mad!"

"I'm not," Tenten said, turning to him with a grin, "But I'm getting you back for that!"

She ducked down into the water, and a few seconds later, Lee's figure disappeared as well.

They resurfaced, and this time, Tenten was laughing, while Lee coughed out water.

Neji didn't know why, but seeing Lee and Tenten playing around in the water was making him feel almost – jealous? Like he wanted to be a part, but wouldn't _ever _admit it to them.

And how did that pestilential Lee manage to dunk Tenten into the water? It must have entailed _touching _of some sort, touching that bare, divine... _damnit_, he really had to stop thinking such thoughts!

Damn that Lee.

Damn Tenten for wearing such inappropriate things.

Damn Tsunade for even sending them here.

Neji was so caught up in his damnation, his Byakugan de-activated, that he didn't notice the truce Tenten and Lee had reached.

He didn't notice them creeping up behind him.

He only noticed it, when suddenly, he found himself flying through the air, about to land in what was icy cold water.

Cursing himself for not noticing his conniving teammates (and when had _Tenten _started turning against _him! _This was betrayal!) Neji immediately redirected his chakra, managing to land neatly on top of the waves, barely sinking in a centimetre.

It was slightly harder to balance on waves than normal water, since it kept moving and he had to keep re-adjusting his chakra, but Neji managed it, and glared at his two teammates, feeling rather smug.

He had failed their plan. But how dare they distract him from his meditation! As if Tenten hadn't distracted him enough already!

Tenten and Lee both grinned at him, their heads bobbing above the water surface.

Neji was thankful he couldn't see Tenten's body.

"Come on Neji!" Tenten called, "Come inside, it's a lot of fun!"

"Yes, my youthful rival, Neji!" Lee agreed, "We can have underwater training!"  
As much as Neji was tempted to join them, he shook his head primly, walking across the waves to settle back into his meditating position.

...

...

...

Things were peaceful for the next few minutes – Gai was making Lee and Tenten do actual underwater training, which involved holding their breath for as long as possible. Soon, he forced Neji to join in as well.

Grudgingly, Neji took off his shirt, and unwillingly entered the cool water, clad in just his black shorts.

"Neji! You came!" Tenten said brightly, smiling at him.

His spirits lifted, but Gai made them spend the next twenty-five minutes holding their breath for as long as possible.

Neji had no idea where and how this kind of training would come in handy – I mean, it's not like they'd ever face enemies who'd trap them in water or something – it was a waste of time... but he partook in the training all the same.

The fourth time they resurfaced from the water, the beach was filled with new voices, hoarse shouts and shrill screaming, signalling the arrival of the Rookie Nine and their teachers.

"Hey! Sasuke-teme! Bet I can surf better than you, you loser!"

"Naruto! Don't be so inconsiderate! What if Sasuke-kun doesn't want to surf!"

"Hn. Bring it on, moron."

"Stop trying to speak for him, forehead! He does! Sasuke-kun! I bet you can beat him!"

"Stop trying to get on Sasuke-kun's good side, Ino-pig!"

"Shut up! That surfboard is as big as your billboard brow!"

"Oooh, Ino you bitch!"

"Stop screaming... this is so troublesome..."

"Yeah. Wanna go get some food, Shikamaru? Asuma-sensei said he'd summon a barbeque..."

"Hey! I wanna surf too! Coming Shino?"

"My bugs are averse to the water."

"K-Kiba-kun! Be careful! You've never done this before!"  
"Meh! Don't worry about me, Hinata! Akamaru and I will be naturals at this, right Akamaru?"

"Arf arf!"

Neji wished they hadn't come at all – it had been almost pleasant earlier, but now the beach was full of rambunctious shinobi.

"Hey! Bushy-brow! Neji! Tenten! What's up?" Naruto shouted, splashing into the water at once. He was wearing bright orange trunks with swirls on them. Almost as bad as Lee's.

"Naruto!" Lee greeted joyously, "I'm glad you've arrived!"

"Wanna watch me kick Sasuke's ass in a surfing contest?" Naruto asked.

"As if," Sasuke muttered, appearing behind him in dark blue, Uchiha fan-patterned trunks, and tackling him into the water.

"Aaargh!" Naruto screeched, but was cut off as Sasuke pushed him in, using his foot to hold Naruto's head down.

Kiba and Akamaru soon joined the fray, and Sasuke stood calmly, while Naruto flailed and thrashed in the water below him.

"Um – don't you think you should let him out?" Lee said, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, no one's going to do CPR on him," Ino yelled from the beach.

Neji noticed his cousin blush deeply at this, and wondered why.

Sasuke soon did let Naruto up, and the blonde leapt at him in rage, and the two boys began wrestling in the water.

"Naruto! Get off him!" Sakura yelled, and Kakashi just shook his head, sighing.

...

...

...

Neji and Tenten soon left the water, as Kiba, Lee, Naruto and Sasuke began a surfing competition.

Tenten joined the other three kunoichi in building a sand-castle.

Gai and Kakashi were having a surfing competition as well, though in a deeper part, further away from the sure – Neji was sure Gai had challenged Kakashi to it.

Asuma and Kurenai had disappeared, and Neji didn't need his Byakugan to know that they were probably in the little log cabin that had been used as a changing room.

Neji found himself sitting under a large, colourful umbrella with Shino, Shikamaru and Chouji.

They were mostly silent, save Chouji's large chip-munching, watching the others, and Neji didn't mind their company much.

More often than not, his eyes wandered over to Tenten, who was crouched not far away, sculpting the sand castle with her kunai as Hinata moulded it with her chakra.

She was still wet, and he could see the beads of water rolling down her bare thighs, the curve of her back when she bent over – it was tantalizing, and as much as he tried not to look, his eyes defied him more often than not.

An hour or so later, they began playing volleyball, a tournament proposed by the teachers. The teams were their actually ninja squads, and Neji was relieved to be playing with Tenten instead of against her – though she'd be closer to him now, at least she wouldn't be directly opposite.

Their first match was against Team Asuma, and they won it easily. Shikamaru was too lazy to move, Chouji had never been particularly athletic, and Ino screamed instructions more than anything else. With their natural athleticism, speed, and strength, they won that match easily.

Team Kurenai would have been easy as well. Hinata was too timid for an aggressive sport like volleyball, and though Kiba was decent enough, he couldn't match up to Neji, Tenten and Lee. Neji suspected he was also slightly distracted by Tenten (he'd caught the boy drooling, and shot him a murderous Byakugan glare). The real problem was Shino – or rather, Shino's bugs. They followed the ball everywhere and never let it hit the ground on Team Kurenai's court. Team Gai was forced to hit the ball with all the strength they could, aiming it as far away from Shino as possible. Of course, aiming had always been Tenten's speciality, and they soon won that match as well.

Team Asuma, miraculously, beat Team Kurenai. It was mainly Shikamaru using his shadow to freeze the volleyball mid-air, giving Chouji enough time to hit it over – or Ino using her mind-transfer jutsu on Hinata, and forcing the poor girl to commit her own fouls.

When Asuma demanded to know why they hadn't tried the same tactic on Team Gai, Shikamaru just shrugged, saying it would have been 'too troublesome'.

"What he means is that Team Gai would beat us in any sport," Chouji explained, "They're too athletic, so why bother? It'd be pointless and a waste of chakra, even though he is Chuunin..."

Team Seven beat both Team Asuma and Team Kurenai. They had surprisingly good teamwork, especially Naruto and Sasuke. Though they insulted each other quite frequently, they were strong, and Sasuke's Sharingan could see the ball's movements before they even occurred. Naruto's shadow clones covered the entire court, leaving no open spaces, and even Sakura, surprisingly, landed extremely powerful, yet controlled hits.

The match between Team Gai and Team Seven barely lasted five minutes.

The five minutes, however, were utter chaos.

There were fireballs and arrays of gleaming weapons exchanged between the teams, chakra shields and shadow clones covering the court, high-powered kicks and punched delivered to the ball, and what Neji suspected was even a miniature, low-powered Rasengan which Naruto had flung over the net.

Instead of dodging the ball of compressed energy, Lee 'Dynamic Entry-ed' the volleyball at it.

The ball promptly exploded on impact, and the game ended in a draw, much to Gai and Kakashi's displeasure; for them, this had been a clash of egos, their star students matching up against one another, and a draw was disappointing.

Gai insisted on a rematch, but it was evening, and Asuma had begun cooking an early dinner, and Naruto was too distracted by the food to play again.

...

...

...

Dinner was a noisier affair than what Neji was accustomed to, and that was saying a lot, considering their most recent weekly 'Team Gai Dinner' had involved Lee getting drunk on sake and destroying a restaurant.

Fortunately, there was no sake here, and Lee was too busy complimenting an uninterested Sakura on her pink bikini.

Naruto and Sasuke, however, with their incessant fighting and bickering, created enough commotion themselves. This was made worse when Sakura called Ino fat, as Chouji, misunderstanding the insult as directed at him, swelled up to gigantic proportions and bull-dozed his way through all the food, causing it to splatter everywhere.

That's when Neji decided he'd had enough, and stood up, intending to take a peaceful walk along the beach.

To his surprise, Tenten stood up at the exact same time on his left, apparently thinking the same thing.

They didn't say anything to one another, as they walked away from the crowd, along the shore of the beach.

The sun was setting, and splashed the sky with pinks and oranges. Even the water had an orange tinge in its reflected light and the waves lapped against the sand.

Tenten would stop every few moments, to pick up a seashell, or something or the other, speeding up slightly to rejoin Neji after.

"Look!" she cried finally, breaking the silence.

Neji turned, raising an eyebrow at her.

He was quite proud that he managed to control his blush – though she'd wrapped the cloth around her waist again, she'd loosened her hair entirely, probably to dry it, and it now spilled over her shoulders and back in long, damp waves.

It made her look extremely pretty, and for some reason, Neji felt shy, for the first time around her.

He focused his attention on the seashell she was showing him, a pointy, conical thing. He didn't find it particularly interesting.

"Bet if I sharpen this, I could use it as a kunai, huh?" she wondered aloud.

"Possibly," Neji said, not trusting himself to speak too much.

"I mean, if we ever go on one of those missions where they check you to see if you're armed or not, it could come in handy!" Tenten went on, before leaning down to pick up another seashell which caught her eye.

Neji went red, as this action gave him full view of her chest - and had to focus his chakra on stemming a nosebleed yet again.

They walked quite a long way, Tenten dipping her feet into the waves, though Neji preferred the sand.

"Today was fun though, don't you think?" Tenten asked.

"Better than I expected," Neji said truthfully.

He'd never expected to see her in such – a state...

"You really need proper swim trunks though," Tenten said, "I have a feeling this isn't the first time Tsunade-sama will send us one one of these little trips..."

"Hn."

"And if she doesn't, Gai will probably make us do a monthly beach training regime or something... he really seems to have enjoyed this..."

Neji's mind had gone into overdrive at the prospect of seeing Tenten dressed like this on a _monthly _basis.

They walked for longer, the sky gradually darkening, Tenten adding to her seashell collection, and Neji adding to his mental album of delicious, delicious images.

She suddenly squealed with delight, and Neji wondered what it was this time.

"Neji, this one is like you!" Tenten exclaimed, waving a seashell in his face.

Neji regarded the object, a long, white thing, spiralling inwards, and narrowed his eyes at Tenten.

"Tenten, _how _exactly do _I _resemble a _seashell?_" he asked, trying to sound as dignified as possible.

"I never said you resemble it!" Tenten rolled her eyes, "It's just its white, and it's got this big whirl in the middle, and it looks kind of like a screw – and that's what your name means, right? Whirl or screw?"

Her logic actually made sense, when she put it that way.

"Ah. And your name-"

He stopped himself from saying what he was about to say.

Her name meant heavenly, of course. A perfect meaning, in his opinion.

"Heavenly," Tenten scrunched her nose, "Too girly if you ask me..."

"I think its fine," Neji said, looking straight ahead.

"Wonder what Lee's name means... other than the 'Rock' part of it..."

"Probably nothing. He's too moronic to have a sensible name..."  
"Neji!"  
"..."

They continued on, and Tenten had removed a kunai (Neji truly wondered from where this time) and was scratching something onto the shell.

She handed it to him, and he saw that it was his name, in kanji.

"You can keep it," she said, smiling sweetly.

It was a simple gesture, but it made Neji's heart flutter alarmingly.

"Thank you," he said, as neutrally as he could, before pocketing it.

Their fingers brushed, and Neji's heart raced, but faster this time.

It was nearly nighttime, and the moon's glow illuminated the waters.

"We should get back," Neji said, "We're supposed to leave at eight o clock, and it's already dark. The others are all the way on the other side of the shore."

"Okay," Tenten agreed, "But it'll be faster if we just cut across the water... I'll race you, Neji!"

"No," he shook his head.

He had done too many childish things today. That would be crossing the limit.

"Come on," Tenten pleaded, "It'll be fun! And it'll be faster! You know you want to!"

Neji found he couldn't resist her for long if she looked at him like that, dressed as she was with her hair loose.

"Fine," he relented, before smirking slightly, "But what do I get once I win?"

"Once you win?" Tenten demanded, "That's presuming a lot! And why should you get anything at all?"

Neji wondered why he should as well, but he badly wanted to ask just _one _small thing of her.

He decided against it, however. That would be utter foolishness.

"_If _I win, then," he amended, "And forget it, it's not necessary."

"Um – okay?" Tenten looked confused, "Anyways, let's go on the count of three... one... two... three!"

They raced off, running with chakra-controlled leaps over the silver-tipped waves under the moonlight.

...

...

...

"Neji! Tenten!" Lee called, waving, as they reached the shore, "We were waiting for you! We have to get back to Konoha!"

"Alright, let me just get my sandals!" Tenten told him, rushing off to pick up her discarded footwear, "Aren't we changing first?"

"Of course we are!" Lee said, and Neji found himself feeling almost disappointed, though he knew he'd never look at his female teammate the same way after today.

He'd beaten her in their little race, and he almost wished he'd had the nerve to ask her for a 'reward' before... she would have agreed, sooner or later.

Then again, it probably wasn't a good idea.

Tenten would probably skewer him with her makeshift seashell-kunai if he asked her for a kiss...

...

...

...

_Author's note – That was fun to write =) Please leave a review!_

_And if you're wondering, I didn't make Tenten's outfit up. It actually appears, in the sixth ending of Naruto (not Naruto Shippuden) so you can check it out! _


	13. NejiTen: Intoxicated

_Author's Note – I'm late! :( I wanted to post this on 10/10/10 but there was so much work and college apps and stuff… but anyways, Happy Belated Tenten Day! And happy belated birthday Naruto! _

_This fic is actually directly inspired off of a party I recently went to… so yeah… I felt rather like Tenten did in the situation, though things weren't quite as eventful for me =P I'm trying first person narrative for a change, so the writing style will be rather different, and more casual in this. Oh, and just assume Sasuke is back after his revenge debacle. _

_Hope you guys enjoy it! Please leave a review! Please!  
_

_Special thanks to all those who reviewed! I read your reviews and they made me smile like a moron! Like one of Gai-sensei's blinding ones =D so thanks! _

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto…  
_

_Warning – contains mature language and lots of drunkenness. please stay away if that bothers you._

#$*&!

I'm going to kill Naruto.

I'm going to take a fuuma shuriken and _skewer _that boy.

Which wannabe-Hokage mixes _alcohol _into all his drinks? Seriously?

Oh right – Tsunade-sama would have too… in fact, I think she was behind this, you know. She probably gave him permission to get drinks on his birthday.

Pretty foolish, if you ask me.

I mean we're all _underage. _Well, _I'm _not. Nor are Neji and Lee, actually. But Naruto and his little gang certainly are.

And we're ninja. We're used to being alert and cautious and graceful – we're insanely powerful and have to have perfect chakra control – _why _would they give us something that makes us lose control of our senses?

Have they learnt _nothing _from what happened with Lee?

I mean, okay, I know Lee just has a freakishly low capacity, and even a few sips of sake have a _devastating _effect on him; but still, it's plain idiocy.

Especially since the baka never _told _us he'd spiked the drinks – and he'd used some colorless, odorless, tasteless alcohol so we'd never even notice!

Which is what makes me suspect Lady Tsunade all the more. She's my idol and all, but she's always had a talent for making colorless, odorless, tasteless yet potentially harmful substances.

Thank Kami-sama Lee had some sense in him, and isn't drunk. If he was, I don't know _what _I'd do.

He's been sick, so he hasn't been eating or drinking much outside. It's a good thing too, because if he had, this entire place would have been destroyed by multiple Lotuses and Leaf Whirlwinds, I'm sure.

Still, I predict a future fight. With ninjutsu.

Kiba looks pretty tipsy. So do Sasuke and Naruto, actually. I'm pretty sure they'll instigate the fight.

Can't quite tell about Hinata, though Sakura and Ino are on their way to being sloshed. Sai keeps pouring the damn stuff down their throats. I think they've had about ten sake shots each. Morons.

Sakura's just going all, "Sasuke-kun, come sit with me! Sasuke-kun, you look so handsome! Sasuke-kun, let's revive your clan! Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kuuun!"

Sasuke's pretty indifferent to her, though he looks mildly annoyed.

Sai of course, is sober. He's smiling that fake smile of his, and getting Sakura and Ino drunk. Ino especially – she gets really slutty when she's drunk apparently. She keeps hitting on Sasuke as well, who just glares at her. I'm pretty sure he was on the verge of fireballing her, to tell you the truth. She flung her arms around him, and tried making out with him. He substituted, and she was left kissing a log. It was priceless, really.

She moved on to Shikamaru after that, who just looked pissed. It's a good thing Temari isn't here yet. That girl has the temper of a rhinoceros, and she's pretty damn powerful with her fan. Trust me, I'd know.

Oh – Ino's making out with Shikamaru now – excellent… oh, and did the Sand Siblings just arrive? This is going to be _good._

I'm not a sadist or anything, but Ino's an insult to kunoichi. She can't even throw a shuriken properly, and now she's whoring herself out to her teammate. What the hell?

She even tried hitting on Neji, the bitch. He just gave her this cold 'don't-fuck-with-me-or-I'll-jyuuken-your-guts-out' look, and she shied away after that.

Bitch.

Though one up to Neji!

It's not like I'm possessive or anything. It's just – stupid. _stupid _Naruto.

I thought drunken Lee was bad. He was a miniature disaster.

But drunken _Neji? _I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to handle that!

Yes, Neji is drunk.

The world's coming to an end. I can just imagine Hiashi-sama's wrath if we bring home Neji drunk.

The only worse thing would be Neji _and _Hinata drunk.

I don't know how he managed it; he can usually detect any substance with his Byakugan, but I suppose he hadn't thought it was necessary to use his dojutsu.

So now he's tipsy. Or he should be tipsy, but apparently Hyuuga have really low capacities. Shocking, really. I thought Neji would have a high capacity, if he ever loosened himself enough to touch alcohol.

But no – he has the capacity of a ten-year old civilian _girl, _I swear. Sasuke Uchiha beats him hollow at drinking. So does Naruto, actually. The two are having a drinking contest. They've already downed a bottle of champagne each, plus at least fifteen shots.

But back to Neji, who is _drunk_. And Lee is surprisingly sober! And I'm sober too, because I know Neji will never forgive me if I get drunk and then Lee has to take care of both of us.

So I'm 'taking care' of Neji. Right now, this mainly involves helping him walk. Because he can't walk properly. He's falling all over the place. He can't see that well either, he keeps saying he's seeing double and triple of things. I guess alcohol has a bad effect on dojutsu. He's always had sensitive eyes.

Hm… it's not _that _bad actually. Since Neji can't walk, he needs support. And though Lee had offered his 'youthful services', Neji just glared at him.

He wasn't drunk enough to let Lee escort him. So I was given the pleasure. Oh, joy.

I'd _much _rather be training.

Well, maybe not.

He's leaning on me right now. My arm is around him, and his hair is tickling my cheek, and he's warm – and Neji would _never _let me do this if he was sober…

It's kind of nice, getting to touch – oh my god! No! Why am I thinking like this again! I'm not drunk! I shouldn't be!

That's another reason I didn't want to get drunk. I'd probably come onto Neji if I was, like how Ino's currently coming onto – Sai – wow, what a harlot, she changes quickly – wait, is that a black eye I see? Damn, Temari must've socked her baaad - but yeah, I'd be all over Neji and he'd be scandalized and disgusted.

But right now – he's – somewhat – over me, and I'm secretly thrilled and fan-girling.

Yes, I know it's pathetic, but I've secretly been in love with him for ages. And I've always longed to have him touch me. And now his hand is on my waist, I can feel his breath against my neck (I can smell it too, it's like sake) and I can feel adrenaline pumping through my body, like I'm about to fight an Akatsuki or something.

It's kind of flattering that once drunk he'd come to me. Not that he's hitting on me (I almost wish he was), but I guess it shows he trusts me most.

#$*&!

"Tenten," Neji slurs after awhile, and his voice is so husky and low, it gives me chills, "Can we sit down?"

"Alright, Neji," I say, supporting him and taking him to a couch – nooo, not that one. Damnit, why is Temari glaring at me, it's not like I_ meant _to interrupt her little face-eating spree with Shikamaru.

Oh, look, it's Ino and penis-boy. His hand is up her shirt, and so is hers; seriously, it's difficult to tell which one is the male in _that _relationship.

And – what in the name of green spandex? Sakura and Sasuke? How did _that _happen!

Last time I'd seen Sasuke, he'd been yelling at Naruto while they had a drinking contest. Some crap about bonds and brothers and forehead protectors. But anyways, he's making out with Sakura now… a quick transition, I must say…

Well, not exactly making out – she's plonked herself on his lip, and is kissing him furiously. He's not exactly stopping her, though he looks kinda doped.

Anyways, moving on…

Ah, finally an empty bench. Lee's here, and he waves enthusiastically. I take Neji to go down and sit next to him.

"Yosh! Youthful teammates! How are you?"

"Spectacular," I answer sarcastically.

Lee seems to sense my sardonic tone, and he furrows his bushy brows, surveying Neji carefully.

"Tenten," he asks slowly, "Is our dear friend Neji – drunk?"

"No!" Neji scoffs vehemently, "Don't be ridiculous!"

His voice is thick, and not as cutting as usual. Lee, perceptive little bugger, seems to realize this.

"My rival!" he cries, standing up and striking a ludicrous pose, a blaming finger pointed at Neji, "You _are _drunk! What would Gai-sensei say?"

"I give a damn," Neji replies, slurring.

Okay, so he hasn't lost his senses, at least.

"This is a disaster!" Lee screeches, eyes bugging out, "Tenten, we must do something!"

"Lee, I think he's fine," I say wearily, but Lee has sped off, yelling something about abstinence, his orange tie fluttering behind him.

I snort. It was rather ironic, coming from Lee.

"Idiot," Neji mutters, leaning on me slightly.

"Are you okay?" I ask him.

Neji moves away, turning to look at me. He places his hands on my shoulders, and my heart skips a beat. His silvery white eyes are boring into mine, and his hair is loose, framing his handsome face.

"I'm fine, Tenten," he says, "Don't worry. I just can't walk properly, but that's all."

"Alright," I say casually, trying not to ogle at him to obviously.

Why is he so handsome? I can't help myself!

#$*&!

We sit in silence for awhile – it's a relief to get away from the crowd of gyrating people on the dance floor. Neji and I have never really been dancers, unless you count are jutsus, which do require lots of spinning.

Lee had been dancing earlier though. It was more taijutsu and less dance, but those civilians seemed to like it.

Why are we here again? And not training – oh right…. Naruto's birthday.

"Why aren't you wearing a dress?" Neji suddenly asks me, and I can't believe my ears.

"What?" I ask back.

"Why aren't you wearing a dress?" he repeats.

"I don't usually wear dresses," I reply cautiously, "Difficult to move around in, if we're suddenly attacked and I need to run or perform a jutsu, you know…"

Why is he asking me this? Neji has never been one to care about clothes.

I look down rather self-consciously at my long, red and black empress waist top. I'm wearing it with a black belt, behind which I've hidden a row of shuriken. There are senbon strapped to my waist as well, underneath the top. I'm wearing black tights, and heels, which have detachable kunai as heels.

Am I underdressed?

Ino's wearing a purple halter dress. Sakura's wearing some strapless green thing, and Hinata's in a baby blue tube. Even Temari's wearing a miniscule black piece of cloth with all these holes – but I've always been one for practicality.

Still, if Neji's asking, does that mean he looks down upon my dress sense? No, that's ridiculous. This is Neji. All he thinks about is training.

"I don't mean to be rude," Neji is saying softly, "But – at Hinata-sama's you were wearing a dress. I was wondering why you didn't again."

Wow. He noticed? I had worn a dress – damn uncomfortable thing – for the first time. But Neji hadn't said anything then, so I assumed he didn't see, or just didn't care.

"Well, they're uncomfortable," I mutter, shrugging, "Why do you even care?"

"You looked nice," Neji says simply, and my heart skips a beat.

I'm blushing, I know I'm blushing.

Neji couldn't _not _have just complimented me – not that it was much of a compliment… but still!

Suddenly, he reaches up, and he's taken a lock of my hair, and he's twirling it around a finger.

"Your hair looks really pretty though," Neji says, his eyes slightly unfocused, "I like it like this. You should wear it down more often…"

_What? _

His hand moves back – and now he's _running his fingers through my hair._

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!  
_

What the hell do I _do?_

He's definitely drunk. Yep, the alcohol's started taking an effect on his brain.

"Um – thank you?" I mumble, turning away, but he leans into me again, his arm around my waist.

"I feel dizzy," Neji murmurs as if in explanation, so I let him lean against me, our sides pressed together, reveling in the warmth of him.

"Neji?" I ask, an idea suddenly hitting me.

"Yes?"

"How many tenketsu are there in the human body?"

"Three hundred and sixty one."

"…right. And what elemental type beats lightning?"

"Wind. Tenten, why-"

"What's the hidden village in the land of Water?"

"Kirigakure, and Tenten _why _are you quizzing me on basic ninja knowledge?"

"…I was bored," I lie, and he's drunk enough to buy it. Or at least, he doesn't say anything.

He's also drunk enough to – hit on me? Flirt with me?

No, he was probably just trying to be nice.

No. Neji didn't just do 'nice' for no reason.

But if he could answer my questions, he obviously has some idea what he's doing… so why would he… or maybe he just is a genius. Drunk, but still able to recall every word of the shinobi guidebooks and academy lectures.

Lee comes running in at that moment, with a glass of water and – is that a tablet? Seems like it.

"I have medicine!" Lee announces triumphantly, "Open up, Neji!"

"Lee I don't think that's a good idea," I warn, but Lee has already pounced on Neji and is attempting to pry his mouth open.

Neji fights him off, looking thoroughly irritated, but his coordination isn't that good at the moments, his reflexes are slow, and Lee is fast, and somehow Lee manages to shove the tablet down his throat, followed by a glass of –

"ROCK LEE!" I screech suddenly, standing up and snatching the glass from his hands.

Neji sits up, sputtering, forced to swallow the liquid.

"Where did you get that from?" I demand.

"Kiba gave it to me," Lee says, "I told him Neji was drunk and we wanted water-"

"Lee, you idiot!" I shook him, my eyes darting to a rather dazed Neji.

"What's wrong Tenten? Why are you behaving so unyouthfully! I was trying to _help _Neji and-"

"Lee, if there's one thing Gai-sensei hasn't taught you it's this: never _ever _get a drink from a bar, especially from someone like Kiba! This thing was probably spiked!"

"Spiked! NO!" Lee looked devastated, clutching his head.

"Yes! You've just got him more drunk than before!"

"OH NO!" Lee cried, falling to his feet, "Neji! Neji! Forgive me!"

He's sobbing, clutching at Neji's hands, and Neji looks _quite _dazed – he's not even pushing Lee off – and I just hope that the forsaken drink was diluted…

#$*&!

Half an hour has passed, and damnit, I wish _I _was drunk.

Kiba is wasted. Completely. So is Shikamaru.

Lee, the little busybody, keeps running around as if he's doing laps, carrying bowls of little lemons, and squeezing the stuff down their throats.

Apparently Kiba puked a couple of times – right now, Shino's bugs are holding him up so that if he faints, the stuff doesn't get stuck the wrong way.

Temari's fretting over Shikamaru, who is also quite wasted. He looks doped, and keeps repeating the word 'troublesome'. He can't stand up straight, and Gaara's holding up him and Kankuro (who is also sloshed) with his sand.

Lee keeps giving me updates, you see, along with limes for Neji.

Ino and Sai have disappeared somewhere – I don't know where. I don't even_ want _to know.

Sakura's drinking again. And this time she's gotten innocent, sweet Hinata into it too.

Hiashi-sama is going to throw a _fit._

Naruto will _never _get Hokage at this rate. I'm pretty sure the Hyuuga will rebel if he does.

Hinata and Sakura were both sobbing about something, till they got drunk, and now Sakura's throwing a raging fit.

"Thank you, you bitch!" Sakura is screaming, "I tell you I love you and all I get is a fucking thank you! Well fine then, screw you, you revenge-seeking bastard! Go fuck Itachi for all I care! You've been obsessing about him unhealthily anyway since the age of seven! Go to that snake pedophile, let him dress you up like a man-whore! I don't give a damn! Shannaro! Go screw Naruto for all I care! You've been wanting that all along anyway, haven't you, you frigid ice-prick! It's always been Naruto, Naruto, fucking Naruto! You tried to kill me, but when Naruto wants to cry and whine about bonds, you fucking listen to him, you fucking press him to your chest like some kind of a gay brother-fucker, and all I get is a fucking thank you! HELL NOOOO!"

Damn, she's punched a table, and smashed it to smithereens.

This is going to cost us. Bet it'll come right out of Tsunade's pocket, if she hasn't wasted it all on gambling debts.

Now Hinata's sobbing even harder – and oh no, she's choking! I should help – okay, never mind, Lee to the rescue. He's thumping her on the back, and _damnit Lee stop squeezing lemons down people's throats! _

I leave after a while, dragging Neji along with me; I don't know why I even bothered to listen to Sakura's rant. I was more worried about Hinata actually. She's a sweet girl, but Lee's got her now, and there's only one drunk Hyuuga I can handle at a time.

I'm taking him outside for some fresh air – and OH KAMI-SAMA!

Okay, _now _I get why Sakura was in such a state.

I can_not _believe what I am seeing.

Sasuke and Naruto are outside, pressed against a wall, kissing wildly.

_What. The. Hell._

Yep, they're making out, quite violently at that, and Sasuke's hands are at Naruto's waist, and his are in Sasuke's hair, and this can't be another little 'accident'.

Those two are gay for each other?

…at least Lee has no more competition for Sakura with Sasuke.

Heck, he's kissing Naruto _much _more passionately than he'd been kissing Sakura earlier.

Geez, never knew the Uchiha was _actually _a man-whore.

But Naruto? What about poor Hinata, who practically died for the boy!

Oblivious idiot.

Though if he'd crushed on Sasuke, I suppose that explains a _lot._

Okay, I can't watch this much longer, no matter how hot it may be. Back inside, I suppose.

Not that things are any – less hot – inside.

Neji – darling, _drunken _Neji. My teammate, and sparring partner.

Oh, I am _never _letting him live this down… next sparring practice, and that boy is going to get it from me!

Or – maybe not.

His _hands _are on my waist. And he's practically breathing down my _chest._

If this was any shinobi but Neji, they'd have been Soshoryu-d by now, I swear on Gai-sensei's precious weights.

"Tenten," he says, and his voice is husky, and is sending shivers down my spine.

And oh my _god._

He did _not _just – feel me up?

What is happening?

Neji's hands have moved to my neck – and breathe, Tenten breathe – and now it's sliding down my sides, and my heart is racing, and I think I'm going to _die _of bliss.

_What is he doing?_

His hand is dangerously close to my chest – just missed – good thing, because I'd have to pin him in training otherwise – and now his fingers are tracing across the bare skin of my forearm.

He's leaning in – he's leaning in and I can smell his breath. It's like alcohol and it's intoxicating.

His hair is tickling my forehead.

Oh my _god._

His hands are low, dangerously low – they're at my lower back – and _did he just grope me?_

I'm delusional. My heart is racing. He's drunk. He's really really really drunk, and he has no idea what he's doing, but _I _do, and I can't even stop him because I want this so badly.

"Neji?" I ask, failing miserably at sounding annoyed, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

It comes out as a squeak.

He smirks – damn arrogant smirk – but it looks so _sexy._

"Stop pretending you don't like it," he whispers, and his breath caresses my cheek.

"Neji, you're drunk, and you have no idea what you're doing. You're going to regret this and- oh!"

I gasp, and my heart is hammering against my chest. I don't know what to say, and the breath has been stolen from my lungs by this devastatingly handsome boy.

Devastatingly handsome boy who's _mouth _is on my _neck _– and _wow._

He's kissing me. He's kissing my neck, so softly, but he's absolutely and undoubtedly inebriated, and now his hand is sneaking under my top, and I really should stop him-

"Tell me to stop," his lips move against the column of my neck, and I can feel his tongue against my skin.

"Tell me to stop," Neji repeats, his voice slightly muffled, "And I will."

"Neji-" I try, but his hand moves lower, and squeezes, and the hand under my shirt ventures higher.

"You know you can't tell me to stop, because you're enjoying this yourself. I know you've wanted this, Tenten…"

"You are by far – aaah…the most infuriating shinobi – oh! – that I have ever had – Nejiiii…the misfortune - to meet," I manage between gasps and moans, the biting tone of my statement lost entirely.

His hands are roaming unashamedly over my figure, and I don't _mind._ I don't even bother resisting anymore. He can do whatever the hell he wants to.

I like it, and I let him. I let him touch me wherever he wants to, not caring that he's drunk, not caring that he's practically using me, not caring that if he remembers in the morning I've probably screwed up our team dynamics for eternity.

And then he kisses me – on the lips. He tastes like vodka, and I kiss him back, and our tongues entangle. I slip my hand up his shirt, and he lets me, pulling me closer, his hands entangling themselves in my hair.

It's bliss. It's pure drunken bliss, and though I'm not intoxicated, I don't think any form of alcohol would make me as high as Neji's touches and kisses.

Who needs sake, when you've got a dangerously attractive, drop-dead gorgeous shinobi all over you?

And you know what? I may as well capitalize on this situation. It's not a common one, and if you look at it, I'm only gaining, really.

Did I say I hated Naruto?

I love the boy! I hope he has a _great _birthday, and I hope Sasuke does all sorts of illicitly sensual things to him – heck, he deserves it!

Wow – did Neji just – oh _wow._

We're going to regret this in the morning. And I'm going to _kill _him during sparring.

#$*&!

"Nothing? Nothing at all?" I practically holler.

Neji looks at me blankly, his white eyes narrowing.

The idiot didn't even have the decency to get a freaking hangover! He shows up to practice all stoic and calm as if _nothing had happened?_

Oh, and did I mention, he doesn't remember _a single thing! _

"I don't know why you're reacting like this," Neji says coolly, "I told you, I'm unable to recall anything clearly. But that isn't even of consequence. Let's just begin our spar."

I splutter unintelligently, not knowing what to see.

Then, I pounce on him, nunhcaks raised and spinning lethally.

His eyes flash, and he dodges gracefully – and shouldn't his movements just be a little bit uncoordinated!

He couldn't freaking _walk _yesterday! How can he be fine!

I send a volley of shuriken at him, and he deflects them perfectly, even sending one back, enveloped with blazing blue chakra.

Oh, I am going to _pulverize _him…

#$*&!

"Twin Rising Dragons!"

"Eight Trigram, Palm Rotation!"

#$*&!

"Tenten – calm down," Neji says, as I glare murderously at him.

He's closed off a few chakra points.

I got distracted, I admit. Though I drew first blood, just a scratch on his forearm. And he's limping, I see.

But then he got really close for a second, and his stupid chakra-jab was dangerously close to my chest, and I just got distracted.

Damn him.

"What's wrong?" Neji asks gently, seeing my obvious frustration.

He takes my wrist in his hand, pushing my sleeve back with my fingers. He's about to re-open my closed tenkutsu, it's quite a common practice we've established after sparring, but the moment his fingers brush against my skin, I jerk my arm back.

"Leave it, Neji!" I snarl, and he raises an eyebrow.

"Your arm will go numb," he informs me, "You won't be able to wield a weapon and defend with just one arm."

"I don't care!" I snap.

How can he act so – normal? How can he act like nothing happened! How can he – forget, damnit!

"Tenten, is this because of something that happened yesterday?" Neji asks, sounding all too knowing.

Though really, he doesn't know _anything._

"_Nothing _happened yesterday!" I growl at him.

"You're upset, Tenten. Just tell me what's wrong," he says, his white eyes full of concern.

I nearly melt, but there is no way in _hell _that I will succumb to him again.

I'd rather fight Kisame again, I'd rather be trapped in a water prison (so he can save me and catch me in his arms and – NO!)

Just – no.

I feel like such a _fool._

"Just – leave me alone," I mutter, turning away, and I begin to pick up my discarded weapons.

He stops me though, suddenly coming behind me, his hands gripping my upper arms.

"Tenten," he mutters, almost warningly, but I can feel his chest, just barely, against my back, and _why _is he whispering in my ear?

What's with the sudden close proximity, Neji?

"Go _away _and leave me alone, Neji!"

"Tenten, you are by _far _the most _infuriating _kunoichi I have ever had the misfortune to meet," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and I swear his lips have brushed the top of my ear.

I whirl around, angrily, about to ask him what the _hell _he means, and why he would say that, when he disappears, in a swirl of leaves.

His words echo in my head.

They seem oddly familiar.

OH.

Oh no…

DAMN YOU NEJI HYUUGA!

#$*&!

_Author's Note – Done. Completely pointless. Terribly OOC. But fun to write nonetheless. Sorry if the OOC and drunkenness bothered you, but that was something I had to get out of my system. And I wanted to write something completely out of canon and impossible. So yes…please review, sweethearts, please! =) I'd really like to cross 100 soon, and I'm pretty close… _

_Tenten got Neji on her as a 10/10/10 day present, and Naru got Sasuke-kun for his birthday present! So they're both happy =) _

_(Oh, and S, if you're reading this, know that I love you! =D)_


	14. NejiTen: Wartime

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto_

xXxXx

"So," Tenten began after an awkward pause, "We've finally come to it."

"Hn," Neji replied noncommittally, the details of their recent meeting with Tsunade fresh in his mind.

They'd all been called – to some large area east of Konoha – where all the ninja nations had assembled. The field was scattered with tents and pavilions, shinobi running around sharpening weapons, practicing jutsus.

They'd just had a meeting discussing strategy and battle-formation. They were all given their vests soon after.

Neji and Tenten walked towards the edge of the site, near the woods, where the Konoha tents had been erected next to Suna's.

They recognized a few of the shinobi, though many were from other nations; still they were all united as one, new forehead protectors gleaming from pieces of cloth.

"I hadn't expected the battle formation to be – like that," Tenten finally said, addressing the very thought that had been plaguing Neji's mind.

"Neither did I," he admitted, "I thought they would keep at least the squads together."

He'd been surprised when Tsunade read out the formation and the divisions for the battle; Tenten and Lee had been as well, he could tell, along with most of the Konoha shinobi. Hinata had seemed downright terrified. They'd all been split up, on the basis of ability. Though Neji admitted it was a logical arrangement, he'd never fought a war before, and definitely not without Tenten, Lee and Gai along with him. No matter how annoying the latter two were, he had always derived a sense of comfort and security fighting alongside them. They had developed infallible teamwork, and Neji knew he could count on them to watch his back during the war. He'd be able to protect them that way as well; they worked in perfect synchronization, and that they'd been split up during the war gave him an uneasy feeling.

He knew Tenten felt the same.

She'd been assigned to the mid-range fighting squad. He didn't know anyone who was with her, expect a few of the Hyuuga. Neji reminded himself to speak to said family members a little later. He himself was in the close-range fighting squad with Hinata, most of the Hyuuga, and many others. Gai and Lee were both in the mid/close-range fighting squad along with Kakashi and Sakura.

The arrangements surprised Neji, especially because he thought if anything, Tenten should be in long-range, and Lee and Gai in close-range with him; but still, they had been split up, and it wasn't a nice feeling.

"Well, I guess it made sense to play to our strengths," Tenten said, continuing Neji's train of thought aloud, "I mean, I fight mainly with weapons, you and Lee use your taijutsu... but it'll be weird not being able to fight together you know?"

"Yes," Neji nodded, "Though why aren't you with Shikamaru and Temari in long-range?"

"Keeping my attacks and Temari's together would prove disastrous," Tenten replied, "You'll see, it makes much more sense having me attack from in front of her."

They walked through the Konoha campsite towards the woods, before Tenten stopped, suddenly, leaning against a tree.

She was biting her lip, and her eyes seemed oddly bright.

"Neji –" she began.

"Don't worry," he cut her off, "It'll be fine."

"I just – take care of yourself, Neji," Tenten said, her tone almost pleading.

"Of course I will."

"No really – this is the first time we've fought such a dangerous battle – and we won't be able to look after each others backs – I won't be there to shield you blind spot –"

"Tenten, I'll be fine," Neji said soothingly, not like the quiver in her voice, "Really."

He took a step towards her, and she fixed her eyes on his, her hands coming up to adjust his new green vest.

"Just – keep moving your head, you know. Cover all directions-"

"Yes," Neji said patiently, allowing her to fasten the button of his vest, her hands sliding over the thick fabric.

"And don't – just don't die, Neji. Please?"

Her eyes were watering now, and he couldn't help but take her calloused hands between his own.

"Stop worrying about me, and remember to take care of yourself," he admonished, his breath tickling her fingertips.

"..."

Tenten was silent, and Neji continued.

"Don't do anything rash or stupid. I'll be watching you through the ranks, and you know I'll see."

Tenten stared at him, and suddenly there was a deadly silence.

Neji then realised how close they were standing, how her bangs brushed her eyes, how there may have been the slightest tinge of pink staining her cheeks.

He stared at her, his white gaze intense, and Tenten felt her heart pound furiously.

Then suddenly, he grabbed her chin, firmly in his hand and tilted her head up, swooping down to capture her lips with his own.

It was a sudden kiss, fervent, and he pulled back almost immediately, before she had time to respond.

"Don't die on me," he muttered, echoing her words, and she stared at him, eyes wide, cheeks flushed.

"I – I won't," Tenten stuttered, and he released her, before turning around.

"I'll hold you to that, Tenten," he said, before walking away.

xXxXx

That had been their last proper conversation before the battle started.

Neji had heard stories about shinobi wars, but had never dreamed how – _chaotic _– one would actually be.

His division was in the front, being close-range, and he'd been stationed somewhere in the middle due to his Byakugan, along with Hinata.

Tenten was quite a few rows back, at the very back of the mid-range section. Lee wasn't too far though, and Neji could see them both with his Byakugan, which was comforting.

Still, he had to focus on the fight ahead, focus on the whizzing kunai, bursts of fire, the random weapons and jutsus which came whirring through the air, moments when the ground suddenly gave way beneath them – it wasn't easy.

The retaliation was strong – Neji Jyuuken-ed and Kaiten-ed harder than he ever had before. Among the clashes of metals and shouts of jutsu he swore he could hear familiar cries of 'YOSH!' and 'LEAF WHIRLWIND!' which were oddly comforting. He thought he saw Tenten as well, a figure high in the air, barely visible, with unfurled scrolls spinning around her.

Moments later, he saw a giant spinning cyclone of jangling weapons flying over his heads and colliding with the enemy dead-on, causing massive devastation.

He then understood why Tenten had been stations in _front _of Temari.

Gaara's sand would weave around their heads at random moments as well, and after two hours, the ranks disintegrated almost entirely.

The fighting continued though, and Neji lost count of how many enemy shinobi he'd hit.

There had been a time, when he was surrounded – he'd spun into his Kaiten, deflecting the weapons, wondering how he'd ward off so many shinobi at once. But through the crackling blue chakra he thought he'd heard a familiar cry, and when the shield dissipated he saw a familiar looking spiked mace explode right in his enemies' faces, pushing them all back.

Neji looked up, but all he saw was a scroll fluttering down

He allowed a hint of a smile to grace his face, before turning back to the battle.

Thirty minutes later he'd leapt over a straggle of soldiers and launched himself in front of a kodachi-wielding kunoichi, pulling her in his Kaiten sphere to avoid the bombs that had been launched at her back.

When it was over, he let go of her, and she wiped her bangs away, silently thanking him, before they leapt back to their respective groups, the onslaught continuing.

Still, there were moments when Neji saw an enemy sneaking up behind him suddenly fall, a kunai embedded into his back – a kunai that had been projected from quite a distance.

And there were times when Tenten's foe would be inexplicably blasted away by a surge of air.

And they knew that no matter what division they were put into, no matter how many soldiers stood between them, they'd always find away to watch each other's backs in battle.

xXxXx

_A/N – just a pointless little thing I felt like writing after Naruto 515. Why did they separate them into different divisions, they're a team! A pair! =(_

_Oh well, NejiTen will triumph regardless =D _

_Please review and thank you kind reviewers for your words so far!_


	15. NejiTen: First Division

_Disclaimer – I don't own anything_

_Author's note – not much NejiTen action, but just a little thing I felt like writing after chapter 516 again. It shows a Hyuuga on Tenten's squad (definitely the guy with white eyes) which looked liked Hiashi. It made me wonder why the heck he'd be there. So I wrote this. Really random._

-X-

"The First Division is the mid-range fighters," Tsunade read out from a scroll, addressing the assembled Jounin.

"This squad will be lead by Darui of Kumogakure. The Leaf shinobi present in this squad will be Choza Akimichi and Tenten."

Neji drew a sharp breath from where he was sitting, eyes narrowing slightly, as he waited for the Hokage to continue.

"The Second Division is the short-range combat division," Tsunade went on, "And will be led by Kitsuchi of Iwagakure. The shinobi in the Second Division representing Konoha will be the entire Hyuuga clan, including Hiashi Hyuuga, Neji Hyuuga and Hinata Hyuuga."

Neji stiffened at this, a slightly panicked look on his normally stoic face.

His uncle Hiashi turned towards him, sensing his nephew's anxiety, and shot him a stern look.

Neji glared back, but clenched his fist, waiting as Tsunade read out the rest of the squads.

"Division three is the short and mid-range division, headed by our own Kakashi Hatake, who will be accompanied by Might Guy, Rock Lee and Sakura Haruno from Konoha."

_They split us up, _Neji fumed inwardly, _they split us all up._

But Lee still had Guy. He and Tenten, however...

"Division four is the long-range division, which is commanded by Gaara of the Sand, Shikamaru Nara of leaf serving as Proxy Commander. Chouji Akimichi and the rest of the Akimichi clan will be in this division."

_This cannot happen, _Neji thought, _I won't let it._

-X-

"You will meet your divisions and captains when we assemble together," Tsunade concluded after an hour, "You are all dismissed. Please inform your teammates and fellow Jounin and Chuunin of their divisions. A list will also be put outside the Hokage Tower."

The Jounin began exiting the room, talk breaking out almost immediately as they digested the news of _war _and _divisions _and a _shinobi alliance._

Neji, however, stepped forward, struggling to maintain a polite, calm tone.

"Hokage-sama?" he asked politely.

"Neji," Hiashi began warningly, but Neji ignored him.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Hokage-sama, if I may," Neji requested, and she nodded.

"Regarding the assignment of shinobi to divisions," Neji began, wondering how to phrase his thoughts, "On what basis has it been done?"

"On the basis of ability," Tsunade said, amber eyes narrowing, "Why do you ask?"

"I thought – teams of three are usually deployed in wartime," Neji continued, "From what I know of the First, Second and Third Great World Wars, we always-"

"The situation is different this time," Tsunade glared at him, "An alliance has been formed like never before. This is the best strategy."

"But don't you think it would be better to group shinobi who know one another strengths and weaknesses together? So that we can watch our backs in battle," Neji persisted, unfazed by the glare, "And cover our – blind spots?"

Tsunade didn't catch the double entendre, but Hiashi did, looking at him sharply.

"What do you want?" Tsunade demanded, "You have the entire Hyuuga clan with you. That's enough people who know your strengths and weaknesses."

Neji took a deep breath.

"Tsunade-sama, I was referring to-"

"Don't tell me to put Tenten in short-range, Neji," Tsunade snapped, "The girl uses weapons and has to be mid or long-range. The only reason she isn't in long is because Temari is in that division and it would be strategically moronic to keep them together."

"Fair enough," Neji countered, "But I could fight mid-range. Tenten and I can collaborate our jutsus effectively enough to break through enem-"

"Your jyuuken is useless in mid-range," Tsunade said shortly, "And we cannot place a sole Hyuuga in a different division from the rest of his clan."

"But Chouza Akimichi is in a different division from the rest of the Akimichi," Neji protested.

"Chouza Akimichi is clan head!" Tsunade barked, "The rules do not apply to them!"

"What rules?" Neji asked.

"The Konoha Constitution," Tsunade gripped the table tightly, causing a crack, "in accordance with the treaties and customs of the clans, states that in the event of invasion, warfare or anarchy, all clan members will fight together unless deployed as ANBU or special Jounin squads in teams-"

"As a part of Team Gai-" Neji began.

"And since teams have been suspended for this war," Tsunade ploughed on, "I'm afraid you have a duty to the Hyuuga clan."

Tsunade turned to Hiashi, who looked grim. Neji turned to his uncle as well, eyes cold.

"Neji," Hiashi took a deep breath, "As a branch house member you are expected to obey clan rules and fight alongside the Hyuuga-"

"What about Tenten!" Neji snarled, finally losing his carefully maintained control, the veins around his eyes pulsating, "What about my _teammate!"_

"You have obligations to the Hyuuga-" Hiashi pointed out.

"Tenten means a _hell _of a lot more to me than the whole damn Hyuuga put together!"

There was a heavy silence in the room after that. Tsunade said nothing, her gaze moving from Hiashi, who had gone rigid, and Neji who was breathing heavily, but looked more determined than ever if anything.

Finally, Hiashi spoke.

"According to clan law, Neji must fight with the Hyuuga whether he likes it or not," he said slowly, ignoring his nephew's indignation, "Breaching the law will only cause further complications and I may be compelled to resort to _drastic _measures if this happens."

"You _wouldn't_ –" Neji's hands moved towards his forehead.

When Hiashi looked at him, his eyes held an unsaid apology.

"I would never by choice, but I would be compelled to. The Hyuuga elders are far too steeped in rules and traditions and breaking them would cause unnecessary discord, even with the village leaders. We don't want to emulate what the Uchiha did years ago. _That _is final."

Neji gritted his teeth, fists clenched, before Hiashi spoke again, this time to Tsunade.

"Lady Hokage, if I may request to move myself into division one instead," Hiashi said, "As clan head, it is within my right."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Hyuuga-sama, I have no issue, but may I ask as to why? The Hyuuga may find it odd that you opt to do this."

"It is obvious that this Tenten means a lot to Neji, my brother's son. If it eases his mind then I have no issue. She is a skilled kunoichi and I'm sure Neji will be able to contribute better knowing there is a Byakugan eye looking after he back," Hiashi stated, rather bluntly.

"Hiashi-sama," Neji began.

"Consider it done," Tsunade said quickly, rubbing her temples, "Hyuuga-sama you will be shifted to division one. Neji, however, must remain in division two."

"Hiashi-sama," Neji said again, bowing his head, "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to-"

"It's alright, Neji," Hiashi nodded, "I'd feel more comfortable too, knowing that my niece-in-law has a trained eye on her in battle."

He swept out of the room, leaving a blushing Neji, and Tsunade who just rolled her eyes.

"Tsunade-sama, may I take my leave?" Neji asked politely, struggling to regain his composure and flaming cheeks.

"You may go," she nodded, and Neji swiftly exited, undoubtedly to meet Tenten, she was sure.

"Bratty kids," Tsunade muttered, shaking her head to herself.

Her team had _never _been _that _– close.

-X-

_Author's Note – Please review! Thanks!_

_Oh, and good news... there IS actually going to be a Neji Gaiden. It's English title is 'Neji Chronicles' and its airing on December 23__rd__! Looks like my dream was answered =) If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I'm writing this chaptered fic called Neji Gaiden. It has lots of NejiTen, you can check it out =P But yeah, I'm really hoping the anime's Neji Gaiden has sufficient NejiTen in it! Ep 184 was quite nice that way =D _


	16. NejiTen: Moment of Intimacy

_Author's Note – This is based off a dream I had. I woke up and I had to write it into a story. The dream was kind of from Sakura's POV, so this will be too. It's more of a drabble-ish thing, kind of an overflow of thoughts and stuff. A bit different from my usual style, but I wanted to give it a shot._

_Please review and let me know what you think!_

_This chapter is dedicated to __**Wroathe **__who is just utterly awesome! I hope you like it and thanks for everything! =) I'm sorry I couldn't write you a training story, but I exhausted all my training ideas back in chapter 8!_

_Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto _

xOxOx

They're taking us to war.

I'm sure of it.

Tsunade-sama hasn't officially told us that yet, but practically every single shinobi in the Leaf has been mobilized.

Just yesterday, they gathered our teams; Team Eight, Team Ten, Team Gai, and of course, my team, Team Seven – minus Sasuke-kun and Naruto, plus Sai.

They took our measurements, and I'm sure they're going to give us those Jounin flak jackets, with extra padding and all.

In the evening they took us to the weapon shops to replenish our scrolls and our weaponry. Shizune gave me at least two hundred poisoned senbon.

They're equipping us for war. It's obvious.

Rumor has it that we're getting new forehead protectors too. There's an alliance between the Five Great Shinobi Nations. We're going all out – against the Akatsuki, against Madara Uchiha, against...

Sasuke-kun.

Oh, Sasuke-kun. Why, _why _do you have to be so – ugh.

Forget it.

Naruto isn't even here. I wish he was... but he's training on some secret island or something.

Everyone's been asking me about him - Lee, Hinata, Ino-pig and her team. They want to know when he's coming back. I wish I could give them an answer, but I don't know myself.

We all want Naruto back; if we're going to war – and we _know _we are – it would be good to have a few hundred screaming, orange-clad, hyperactive, knuckle-headed ninja by our side.

And he's the only one who can ever get through to Sasuke-kun.

Sasuke-kun...

Sometimes, like _now_, I wish I'd been someone else, on another team, _anyone._

It's a horrible thought, I know.

I love Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Sai even – _especially _Sasuke-kun. But it hurts so much, and I'm almost envious of Ino-pig and Hinata.

Though Shikamaru is lazy as hell, and all Chouji does is eat, they don't fight constantly and devote all their attention in some inflamed, retarded rivalry, completely sidelining Ino half the time. Though Kiba may be a dog-lover and a bit of an idiot, he'd never leave Hinata lying on some bench.

But you know who I envy the most?

Tenten.

Yes, Tenten.

It's ironic really. I always knew her least because Team Gai was a year above us. Though Lee would spout out random nonsense about love and youth, I'd never really interacted much with Tenten – or Neji for that matter.

Other than that one fateful mission to the Sand, we'd never really spoken; but even there, I never really got to know either of them, because we were too busy or exhausted after my fight with Sasori, their fight with Kisame and Deidara, Chiyo-sama's death and Gaara's revival.

Usually, they were both off training or something on their own, sometimes accompanied by Lee.

Tenten was close to Hinata though, and it had always been me and Ino-pig – and Sasuke-kun.

All the time, we had been obsessed with Sasuke-kun.

Now I wonder why – _why _was it never Neji who we fan-girled over.

I've never really known him – or Tenten too well. Lee's my closest acquaintance from that team, and I don't get too close to him for obvious reasons. Plus, I think Tenten's rather protective of him, and I don't really want to go against all those sharp, gleaming weapons she seems to perpetually carry with her.

Anyways, Neji and Tenten have always seemed somewhat different from us; more mature, maybe. More focused on training and advancing through the ranks. More stable even, perhaps.

Tenten never fan-girled or ran after Sasuke-kun – _or _Naruto.

And yet, right now, sitting in this – van – I see how wrong I was. How wrong we _all _were.

See, they're taking us to another country, for the war. I don't know where, exactly. But they don't want to tire us out, I assume, so they've bundled us all into these weird contraptions with wheels called 'vans' instead of having us leap through the forests and make the journey by foot.

That's another reason why we're all sure its war, and they just want us to conserve our energy and chakra, so we don't faint the moment we reach the battleground.

But anyhow, we're sitting in these vans, and every turn of the wheels brings us closer and closer to the imminent war. Its night right now, and its dark other than the silvery light of the moon, streaming in through the gaps in the wood, which serve as windows; Yamato created these van things using his jutsu.

I'm at the back, with Ino-pig and her team. They're all fast asleep, and Chouji is snoring. Ino's head has rolled onto my shoulder. Lee, Neji and Tenten are in the seat ahead of us – in that order. Lee keeps mumbling in his sleep about youth and squirrels. Team Eight is in the front and they seem asleep as well. Hinata and Kiba look rather cosy, using Akamaru like some sort of fluffy pillow.

I wish I had my team here.

I miss them, seeing all these other teams together. I watched them interact earlier, I watched Kiba and Shino tease Hinata, I watched Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji bicker, I watched Lee do his usual antics, annoying Neji and Tenten who handled him with exasperated expertise.

All of them, even amidst their little fights and squabbles, obviously were still together, still whole, still one. They understood each other in and out. It was obvious from their interactions that they knew so much about one another – little inside jokes and pranks, buttons to push, shared missions to laugh about...

My team was never like that. Our fights and squabbles had only even included two of the three, and usually got so out of hand that Kakashi-sensei had to intervene before someone killed someone else. Our only inside joke was Kakashi-sensei's mask (which we still haven't seen) and we haven't shared missions in over three years unless you count the time we tried to kill each other after the Kage Summit, or the time Sasuke-kun tried to kill Naruto at Orochimaru's lair.

I felt out of place and alone, as I watched all these teams together, their bonds so close and tight and strong...

Why couldn't we have been like them?

To tell you the truth, even when Team Seven _finally _reunited in that disastrous meeting – I felt out of place and alone. It was always just Sasuke-kun and Naruto, who only ever had eyes for each other and their stupid, pumped-up rivalry. It's always been like that.

I've been like the – third wheel, almost.

_Hell _no.

Sasuke-kun, Naruto...

It hurts, thinking about all of this. Everyone is sleeping, so I try to sleep too. But it eludes me, and I find myself staring straight ahead, at Neji who is sitting directly in front of me.

He's really handsome, I notice. His features are chiselled and perfect, and his translucent eyes are so beautiful, though terrifying in a way.

Almost like Sasuke-kun's Sharingan, only white not red and black.

Again I wonder why we never liked _him._

He's older than us, he's _extremely _good-looking, he's a talented genius, he's rich and from a noble clan, he's athletic and an amazing shinobi, he has the same cool, apathetic attitude that Sasuke-kun did...

And apparently, he's not as immune to girls as Sasuke-kun was.

Or one girl in particular.

Tenten.

Which is again, why I'm jealous of her.

Not because I like Neji, because I don't. I barely know him, I can just appreciate that he's attractive.

But she's got – everything that I wish _I _had.

She's very pretty, if you look at her closely, though that's not what I'm jealous about. But she's got nice, lightly tanned skin, a pretty face, and smooth chestnut hair, which she always keeps tied up. Frankly, I'm sure it would be nicer than Piggy's if she let it down though.

But I'm jealous because I'm watching her and Neji. And it's – beautiful.

You'd never guess, seeing them together. Even though they _are _perpetually together, so much that you'd suspect things, Neji and Tenten both act so normal, so at ease with one another – that you would never think either of them had a crush or romantic feelings on the other.

But I see them now, and it's so sweet it makes my heart clench almost longingly.

Tenten seems asleep, and she nods off, her head falling on Neji's right shoulder. To my surprise, he doesn't seem to mind, which is odd, since he always seemed like the touch-me-not type like Sasuke-kun.

But he just lets her be, and turns his head slightly towards hers, the tip of his nose brushing the top of her head.

After a while, she snuggles closer to him. He doesn't seem to mind – in fact, he places his left hand on her arm.

After a while, I notice that his hand has moved to cover her own glove-clad one, and his fingers are threading through her own.

I watch, transfixed, my breath catching in my throat. I am silent – I don't want to disturb them, I don't want to disturb this touching moment of intimacy, which obviously isn't meant for my eyes, or anyone else's.

He seems to be watching her sleep, and he continues the play with her hand, his fingers tracing patterns on her wrist and the black fingerless gloves she wears.

After a few minutes, she shifts even closer, and he wraps his right arm around hers, and brings her hand to his lips.

My stomach flutters, like Naruto's toad summons are bouncing around in it – I don't know why.

I then notice Tenten's awake as well. Has she been, this entire time?

She smiles at him, and there is such tenderness in her gaze. He smiles back, a small smile, but it's gorgeous and breathtaking, especially since I've never seen Neji with an expression that isn't a smirk or just a stoic countenance on his face. He's annoyingly like Sasuke-kun that way, when it comes to facial expressions.

He leans forward, ever so slightly. She does as well.

He tilts his head down. She tilts hers up and to the side.

Their lips meet – sweetly, tenderly – and they kiss, for a moment.

I stare unabashedly now, color rising to my cheeks.

They look so perfect – like one of those dream couples from those chick-flicks Ino likes to watch every now and then.

He kisses her with a practiced ease – and I realize with a shock that this obviously _isn't _their first kiss.

It's not awkward at all. It's too fluid, to graceful, like they know exactly how to move their lips, exactly where to keep their hands – Tenten's are on his chest, and one of Neji's is cupping her cheek, the other at her waist.

It's so beautiful – and yet it gives me that same gut-twisting feeling.

I'm jealous.

I know I am. My Inner Self is torn between swooning and tearing up.

I'm seventeen, and I still have _never _been kissed.

Even _Naruto _has gotten kissed.

By _Sasuke-kun _of all people, who – damnit! – was supposed to be _my _first kiss!

Neji and Tenten break the kiss after awhile. There is no awkwardness, no words, nothing.

She just curls back into his arms, resting her head in the crook of his neck. He drops a kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger against her skin, and then rests his head on hers.

Their hands are intertwined again, and they looks so _comfortable, _so _– fitting._

I know that in the morning, they'll act normal in front of everyone, like they're nothing but best friends and teammates, but I've seen one of their (undoubtedly many) stolen moments of intimacy.

And though I feel happy for them, it causes a flaming pain in my heart, like someone (I wonder who?) has punched a chidori-sparked hand into my chest.

Maybe, _maybe _– if Sasuke-kun had stayed...

Would we have been like that?

We head to war, and I reminisce and wonder, watching the sleeping couple in front of me.

Maybe if we win, maybe if Naruto can convince him, maybe if he finally decides to give Konoha another chance.

Maybe, in the future, if everything works out perfectly...

Maybe Sasuke-kun and I will be like them, like these two teammates who are so obviously and blissfully in love.

Maybe we'll be like Neji and Tenten...

xOxOx

_A/N – Yep, I dreamt about sitting behind Neji and Tenten in a car-type-thing as Sakura, and watching them do precisely that. Weird, huh? But it did make me wake up with a warm, happy feeling. Those two are so sweet! I love the rare dream I get about them because usually my dreams are retarded and make no sense. Though the part of them sitting in a car didn't make sense, so I improvised. In my dream they were all actually going on a tour to see some volcano or something =P_

_I know there's a lot of focus on Team Seven, and not as much NejiTen as I would have liked, but it _is _Sakura's POV. _

_Oh and Naruto 525 proved us right – the Hyuuga on Tenten's squad IS Hiashi! Yay =) I so bet he's there to look after _her _since Neji can't for whatever reason! _

_Review please! _

_xx_


	17. NejiTen: SexyLee!

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto_

_Author's Note – This is an idea I've been wanting to write a story about for awhile. It was actually inspired by some of Sorceress2000's amazing art pieces. She's awesome, I'm sure you all know her – one of the best NejiTen writers/artists around. Anyways, she had done a couple pieces where she had drawn Lee. And he was actually rather cute/hot. Which inspired this fic._

_So I dedicate this fic to you, Sorceress2000, for your unknowing and accidental inspiration! And also, to Wroathe, who had requested a training fic! I hope you like it! =)_

_Thank you all for reviewing so far! I really appreciate it! =)_

_Oh yeah, and Sasuke is back here. Let's assume the war ended happily and sappily and Team Seven has been reunited. Though really, that's not the focus of this fic at all. _

XoXoX

"Sakura-san! My youthful flower! You are shining with the radiance of youth today! Will you go out on a date with me? I promise that I will protect you with my life!"

The fiery proclamation effectively shattered the tranquillity of the morning, and all five ninja standing at the gate flinched.

Lee continued to beam resplendently, his pearly teeth shining like the rising sun.

There was an awkward silence, as Lee remained frozen in his ludicrous pose, fist jutting out in a thumbs-up, megawatt smile in place.

Sai observed him curiously, tilting his head. Naruto scrunched up his nose, looking vaguely sick. Kakashi remained hidden behind an orange book, his expression indecipherable.

Sasuke, however, was glaring daggers at Lee, his onyx irises bleeding over as they morphed into his infamous Sharingan.

Sakura's face was an awkward mix of exasperation, repugnance and pity, though she quickly schooled it into a more neutral one.

"I'm sorry, Lee-san, but I have to go on a mission with my teammates right now," she said, declining his offer for probably the ninty-ninth time.

"Of course! I would never wish to distract you from your youthful mission!" Lee persevered, "Perhaps when you return?"

"Um – I'll be busy at the hospital then. I don't think-" Sakura began, but Sasuke cut her off.

"She's not interested," he told Lee coldly, his Sharingan flashing, before nodding at his two teammates.

"Sakura, Naruto. Let's go."

And in an instant the three of them were off, leaping into the air.

"GOOD-BYE SAKURA-SAN, MY CHERRY BLOSSOM!" Lee bellowed after them, "I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU!"

"Lee," Kakashi sighed, peering over his book after a moment, "Why don't you just give it up... it's been over five years..."

"I NEVER GIVE UP!" Lee screamed, eyes burning manically, "That's my nindo, my ninja way!"

"You too?" Sai asked, looking him over, "I thought that was only Dickless's motto."

"Sai, what did I tell you about that nickname?" Kakashi reprimanded.

"I thought that was only Naruto-kun's motto," Sai amended.

"Yes, Naruto-kun does follow the same youthful, inspiring ideology as myself," Lee agreed, nodding sagely, "Which is why I, like him, shall not give up!"

"You do realise he's moved onto – that – girl," Sai said vaguely, "That white-eyed one with the big ches-"

"Hinata Hyuuga," Kakashi cut in, "Sai, manners."

"Sorry, sensei," Sai said cheerfully.

"THAT'S AMAZING!" Lee shouted, "My competition has been eliminated! Now the path to Sakura-san's youthful heart is clear!"

"You're forgetting Traitor," Sai cut in, "Hag seems to want to jump him for some reason, and considering the way he was ogling her at those hot springs-"

"WHAT?" Lee screeched, "Sakura-san is no hag! And her youthful innocence defiled by that-"

"Besides, Sakura-san would never like someone with your freakishly abnormal appearance and dressing sense," Sai continued, "She only likes cool, handsome, homicidal traitors who-"

"Sai, enough!" Kakashi scolded, as Lee now seemed close to tears.

"What's wrong with my appearance?" Lee wailed, "I look as hip as Gai-sensei with this haircut and these clothes!"

"You do not," Sai plundered on, his tone still unnervingly polite, "You wear too much green, the haircut makes you look like a mushroom, your eyebrows are frighteningly thick, and that tightness of clothes should only be seen on sexy woman... unless you're dickless too, though that would also make you flat-"

"NO!" Lee yelled, "DO NOT INSULT GAI-SENSEI'S FASHION SENSE! IT IS AMAZING! ALL WOMAN ARE ATTRACTED TO HIS YOUTH AND HIP STYLE!"

"Not Sakura, apparently," Sai said bluntly.

"THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE-" Lee began, but then stopped abruptly, round eyes widening, "Could – could that be it?"

"It could be one of the many reasons," Kakashi chuckled, understanding what Lee was hinting at.

His eyes glinted as a sudden plan occurred to him – a plan that would put him one up on Gai after their most recent challenge (which Kakashi claimed he lost only because he had enough dignity _not _to walk around through Konoha on his hands; that would ruin his amazing hairstyle).

"So if I – if I alter my appearance," Lee said thoughtfully, "Perhaps to a more cool one like Kakashi-sensei... then Sakura-san would be more attracted to me?"

"Unlikely," Kakashi murmured to himself, but allowed Sai to take charge of this one.

"Anything would be more attractive than your current get-up," Sai said, "I read in a book once that woman like seeing skin-"

"Is that why you cut off the bottom of your shirt?" Lee asked curiously.

"And they prefer men who are properly groomed, in terms of facial hair-"

"But I don't have a beard!"

"And either long hair, or if it's short keep it spiky-"

"That's why my rival Neji, and that Sasuke have so many fangirls!"

"And _loose-fitting _clothes, at least the pants-"

"B-but – Gai-sensei gifted me this special, multipurpose spandex! I couldn't-"

_This, _Kakashi thought to himself, as Sai and Lee's rebuttal continued, _should be interesting... I can't wait till Gai gets back from his mission!_

XoXoX

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Tenten rolled neatly out of her mid-air somersault, steadying herself on her feet as she surveyed the targets she had placed around her in the clearing.

All of them were pierced neatly by the kunai, dead-on center.

She waited for a few seconds, pausing to catch her breath, before she leapt up again, higher this time, ten kunai gripped between her fingers to continue her exercise.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Tenten flipped upside down, aiming the next few kunai at the ones already in motion, knocking them off their course towards another direction.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

She somersaulted again, letting loose the rest of her weapons in a wave of steel.

Clang! Clang! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

She landed neatly on the ground, eyes flicking over the targets, before allowing a small smile to pull at her lips.

_Perfect._

"That was amazing!" a familiar voice called out, and Tenten spun around.

"Lee-" she began, about to greet her teammate, but then froze, her eyes widening.

The boy who stood in front of her, though sounded like him, did not look _anything _like her goofy teammate, Rock Lee.

The boy was wearing fingerless black rubber gloves, and dark green shorts which were slung low on his hips. Other than that – he was _shirtless._

Tenten looked away, blushing slightly, at the sight of the firm muscles, sculpted shoulders and chest, and defined abs. His arms were corded with muscle, and even his legs, though he wasn't bulky. He was lean, and _tanned, _perfectly tanned.

He had shiny black hair, which hung over his head in ebony spikes, almost obscuring his dark eyes. His features were nice as well, though strangely familiar.

In fact there was something undoubtedly familiar about him in general, tugging at her mind – but Tenten couldn't quite place what.

The boy walked towards her and gave her a dazzling smile, a little _too _dazzling, and Tenten reeled back with shock.

"L-Lee!" she choked, "I-is that you?"

"Indeed it is, Tenten!" Lee grinned, flicking back his hair.

_His eyebrows!_

Tenten was stunned to see that his eyebrows, though still thick, were _far _thinner and better shaped than the monstrosities they were before. In fact – with the hair and the eyebrows, his entire _face _seemed to have transformed.

He almost looked – dare she think it – _cute_? Or – handsome - in a rough sort of way?

"You – but – what _happened _to you?" Tenten sputtered, "Your – hair and – clothes – and – Lee, _for God's sake put a shirt on!"_

"But why, Tenten," Lee whined, "Don't you like my new look? Sai said girls like seeing shirtless boys and if I have a youthful body I shouldn't feel shy and hide it-"

"That doesn't mean you go traipsing around half-naked!" Tenten shrieked, flushing.

This was not good. Lee was not supposed to be cute, or hot, in any way. He was supposed to by a goofy little Gai-clone who ran around in spandex. Not some lean, buff, _tanned _boy who ran around shirtless, flaunting his stuff for the entire village.

"B-but," Lee made his puppy-dog face, staring wide-eyed at Tenten, "I thought it was for the better. So Sakura-san would be attracted to me..."

_So that's it, _Tenten realised, smacking her forehead.

She should have known.

"Lee," she said, shaking her head, "All this – for Sakura? What would Gai-sensei say?"

Lee looked utterly terrified at the remark, but put on a strong face.

"I am sure Gai-sensei will be more than willing to accept me as I am. I have blossomed, Tenten! Can't you see? Don't I look more youthful than before?"

_No, _Tenten thought, _you look older. More mature, actually._

She opted not to say that though, before looking at his now undeniably better hairstyle.

"Who did all this?" she asked, gesturing at the getup.

"Sai, with some advice from Kakashi-sensei," Lee told her, beaming.

"You took advice from Gai-sensei's rival!" Tenten was shocked, "Even Neji wouldn't – oh _Lee_!"

"I'm sorry Tenten!" Lee wailed, eyes tearing up, before he added, "AND I'M SORRY GAI-SENSEI! I NEVER MEANT TO FRATERNISE WITH THE ENEMY! IT'S JUST HE, BEING SAKURA'S SENSEI WOULD KNOW HER TASTE BETTER! AND YOU ALWAYS SAID HE WAS COOL YOURSELF, AND POPULAR WITH THE LADIES! I DIDN'T MEAN TO BETRAY YOU!"

He was kneeling on the floor now, tears gushing out of his eyes, and acting more like his usual idiosyncratic self. It looked rather odd though, with his new look.

"Now, now, Lee," Tenten sighed, kneeling down and patting his (bare, muscular!) shoulder, "I didn't mean to make you feel guilty..."

Lee said nothing, his bawling only intensifying. Tenten felt extremely uncomfortable; it was hard, dealing with a sobbing Lee. Only Gai could handle it.

"I'm sorry, don't feel bad, I'm sure Gai-sensei will be proud of your new look," Tenten continued, "I'm sure Sakura will like it too. It's – um – very – _youthful_."

She winced as she said the word, but Lee brightened up instantaneously.

"Oh, Tenten! That is the best compliment I could receive!" he told her joyously, before tackling her in a bear hug.

"Lee!" Tenten shrieked, "Get off me!"

Lee had hugged her before, many times, though his affection was more like a mauling. But this time, he was shirtless, and Tenten felt _rather _awkward for some reason as he pulled her against his hard, spandex-less chest.

"I AM SO GLAD YOU APPROVE OF MY HANDSOME NEW APPEARANCE!"

"I never said-"

"SINCE EVEN YOU HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN BY MY CHARMS-"

"Hey! I haven't-"

"I'm sure Sakura-san will also-"

"Will you just-"

"_What _the _hell _is going on here?"

Tenten stopped mid-protests, closing her eyes, as the new voice, hard, icy-cold and laced with an angry edge, cut through their skirmish.

Of all possible moments, Neji had to choose _this _one to return from his mission and check on his teammates.

He'd probably heard Lee's ridiculous claims about his charms, and he'd walked in on Tenten being hugged enthusiastically be a shirtless boy.

Tenten sighed.

She could only imagine how bad it looked to his Byakugan gaze.

XoXoX

Neji Hyuuga was _not _happy.

In fact, that was an understatement.

He was _furious._

Furious enough to Jyuuken this nameless shirtless stranger into the next country, tenketsu slammed shut.

In fact, his fingertips were already glowing with chakra, as the veins around his eyes pulsed.

He had come – to check on his _teammate _Tenten – after coming back from his solo Jounin mission. He'd walked towards their training ground, pausing as he heard a familiar voice shouting about charms and appearances.

It sounded like Lee was trying to woo Sakura again.

However, to Neji's astonishment and great displeasure, he found neither Lee nor Sakura in the clearing; but Tenten.

Tenten, with a muscular, shirtless boy, who was currently _hugging _her, _tightly, _as if he owned her – shouting out insanities _which _– to Neji's growing wrath – could be interpreted as flirtatious.

_Hell NO. _

Something clawed at Neji's stomach, and he felt a dark possessiveness flare up within him.

Tenten, to his slight relief, seemed almost glad to see him, though her expression quickly morphed to anxiety.

She was probably ashamed at being caught in such a position.

_Which she should be! _Neji thought, _what does she think she's doing, letting him hug her like that! She could easily have used her weapons to stop him? And who is this – swine? I've never seen shinobi like him around! Maybe he's a foreigner!_

Impatient, furious and demanding answers, Neji finally spoke, his voice frigid.

"What the _hell _is going on here?"

"Neji, this is _not _what it looks like," Tenten began quickly.

"_Who _the hell are you, and _why are you touching her_?" Neji growled, advancing on the stranger.

"Neji, he's just-" Tenten began, but Neji cut her off.

"_Get your hands off her this instant unless you want me to break them!" _Neji threatened, and the boy immediately backed off, eyes wide.

"Geez, Neji, you've never minded me hugging her before," he muttered, "Why so grumpy today? Are you hungry? Did you skip breakfast? Because I know this really good ramen shop that-"

"What are you babbling about?" Neji exploded, "What do you mean you've hugged her _before_? And _who the hell are you?"_

There was something annoyingly familiar about the boy, who was now grinning cheekily.

"So you don't recognize me, do you, my eternal rival?" he asked, flashing Neji a smile, "Tenten didn't either, at first..."

Neji stumbled back, eyes widening as it hit him.

"No – you – you can't be-" he muttered.

"He is," Tenten assured him.

"It's me, Neji! Rock Lee, the hardworking and handsome ninja!" Lee cried, striking a pose, "How do you like my new look?"

"I – you –" the Hyuuga prodigy seemed at a loss for words, before he finally snapped, "I don't know what foolishness this is, but put a goddamned shirt on!"

"Hehehe," Lee chuckled, "That was Tenten's first reaction too... I don't get what's with you people... you didn't like my spandex, but isn't this better?"

Neji glanced over approvingly at Tenten, before turning back to glare at Lee.

"It's a relief to the sore eyes of the rest of the world that you decided to get rid of that rubbery atrocity," Neji said, "But that doesn't mean you gallivant around the village naked. Do you have no shame?"

"But Sai said girls like it," Lee whined, looking utterly sulky, "He said I have a good body, and if I show it, maybe Sakura-san will like me! Tenten agreed too!"

"You _what_?" Neji hissed, turning to glare at Tenten.

"I – I didn't say that!" Tenten squeaked, turning to glare at Lee, "Lee! I never _said _that!"

"Yes you did!" Lee argued obliviously, "You said I look youthful and that Sakura-san would like my new appearance! You did! That's why I hugged you in the first place!"

Neji was now glaring kunai at both Lee _and _Tenten, his handsome face tight.

_How could this happen? _he panicked inwardly, _with Lee of all people! Lee! Tenten, how could you?_

XoXoX

_Lee, you idiot! _Tenten cursed mentally, shaking her head.

The boy really was tactless; and the way he'd said it, Neji was bound to have suspicions. If he wasn't _already _suspicious!

_I'll have to explain it to him later, _Tenten thought, wincing as her teammate glowered at her.

She'd never seen him that angry with her before; she and Neji had always been very close, and they seldom argued or got annoyed with each other. But today, Neji was _furious, _and though a small, hopeful part of Tenten fluttered in excitement at the idea of him _perhaps _being _jealous, _the other, more rational part squashed this happy thought down.

Neji was just being possessive. Not in a romantic way, but his usual possessive. The kind of possessive he never admitted, but he got about even _Lee_, when other shinobi made fun of the boy, and when Lee hadn't recently pissed Neji off himself.

And today he'd probably only been possessive because he had thought his _teammate _was being taken advantage of by a stranger. That was it, nothing more.

And then he was probably angry that Tenten was encouraging Lee's insanity.

Still, a little part of Tenten couldn't help but continue to hope, her stomach flipping weirdly at the intensity of his glare.

Neji then turned to Lee, his jaw set.

"I challenge you," he spat out, "Right here, right _now._"

"What?" Tenten exclaimed, shocked by this uncharacteristic behaviour.

Usually it was _Lee _who challenged _Neji, _the latter declining coolly.

"Of course!" Lee agreed immediately, his features lighting up. He looked rather excited at the prospect.

He'd always wanted to spar with Neji. During training it was always Lee and Gai, and Neji and Tenten.

"Are you two crazy?" Tenten shrieked, "Gai-sensei explicitly _forbade _you two from fighting one another! You'll kill each other!"

For some reason, Neji smirked at this, almost evilly.

Lee however, turned around and flashed her a grin, winking.

"Don't worry, Tenten! I won't injure your precious teammate _too _badly!"

Neji growled angrily at this, but controlled himself.

"Before we start, at least put on a shirt," he said disdainfully.

"Sorry," Lee said sadly, "I don't have one... besides, fighting like this will actually allow more speed and flexibility than the spandex! My movements will be unhindered and smooth!"

"Indeed," Neji muttered, glaring at the ground for a moment.

Then suddenly, he did something which Tenten had _never _thought him capable of (though admittedly she had day-dreamed about it a couple of times).

In one smooth movement, he yanked off his dark skirt and loose white top, leaving him in just loose, low white pants.

Tenten's mouth went dry, and she had to forcibly pump chakra to her nose to prevent a nosebleed then and there.

Neji was just as built as Lee, though perhaps slightly broader in the chest and shoulders. His abs were just as defined, though unlike Lee, he didn't have tan skin – but smooth, pale, unblemished skin like gleaming alabaster. He was beautiful, and Tenten longed to run her hands over – STOP!

Tenten shook her head, stopping that train of thought, and she attempted to tear her eyes away from that glorious, _glorious _body of her teammate, a body she'd never thought she'd be lucky enough to see.

It was no lie – Tenten had harboured a crush on Neji for three years now, and seeing him like this only made her attraction towards him increase tenfold.

Maybe that nut, Sai, was right about the 'girls liking to see skin' thing... she'd been surprised at seeing Lee, and she admitted that he looked great, more than great.

But Neji... Neji was just... breathtaking.

With much self-control, Tenten finally managed to tear her eyes away from Neji's chest and stomach, before risking a look at his face.

Her heart skipped a beat, when she noticed his white gaze fixed steadily on her.

He smirked, almost knowingly, and she blushed, averting her gaze immediately.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it! _Tenten moaned to herself, _he saw me gawking at him! Now he's going to be insufferable!_

Knowing Neji, the _asshole, _he would probably use this knowledge over her during sparring (oh, wouldn't it be _amazing _if he started coming shirtless to _their _private nighttime spars?) or he would tease her about it later.

Whatever it was, it would be mortifying, for sure.

She felt Neji's gaze on her for a few more moments, and she was overcome by an urge to shower him with senbon, anything to wipe off that infuriating (sexy as hell) smirk from his face.

Finally, he turned back to Lee, and she sighed to herself.

She'd worry about that later. Right now, there was a more pressing matter at hand.

Namely how Neji and Lee were about to have their forbidden (shirtless!) battle, and as their teammate, she had to make sure it didn't go too far.

XoXoX

Ino Yamanaka sped through the trees, a bouquet of blue and white lilies in her hand.

Her lips twitched upwards as she read the small note that was attached:

_Hina-chan!_

_I got you these flowers 'cause they reminded me of you. Anyways, I'm going for a week-long mission to Sand with Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan! But keep yourself free, we'll do something fun when I come back, okay? _

_-Naruto (future Hokage, believe it!)_

The blonde shinobi really was _such _a sap.

He'd placed the order at her flower shop this morning, and hastily scrawled a note for his soon-to-be-girlfriend before leaving for his mission. He'd pleaded to Ino to make sure Hinata got the flowers no matter what.

Unfortunately, Ino had been unable to track the girl since morning. She'd checked Team Kurenai's training ground, the shopping district, the restaurants, and even the Hyuuga compound, but Hinata was nowhere to be found.

She'd then headed towards Team Gai's training grounds; perhaps Neji, Hinata's cousin, could tell her where the heiress was. Or at least, deliver the flowers (though from what Ino knew of him, she doubted he'd do something like that).

As she neared Team Gai's training ground, the roaring sound of chakra filled the air. Ino flew back, as a sudden burst of air crashed at her from between the trees.

_Damn, they train rough, _Ino thought, more careful now as she warily approached.

Knowing Neji, Tenten and Lee, they were probably in some insane training regime. She'd better be careful, lest she got nailed by a sudden wave of weapons, a common feat when Tenten was involved.

However, Ino reached the clearing otherwise unharmed, and was surprised to see Tenten leaning against a tree, looking rather tense, a large scroll held in her hands.

Neji and Lee seemed to be fighting, Ino assumed, and it was quite a ferocious match.

Neji wasn't visible behind a dome of rotating blue chakra, his Kaiten attack, which was causing the roaring noise. Lee wasn't visible either, for he was moving _far _too fast, his movements only visible as a red blur that raced around the clearing, zipping towards Neji's chakra dome, trying to penetrate it. From the red color of the flames that surrounded him, Ino guessed that he'd opened a gate or two; she'd seen him perform that technique during the second Chuunin exams.

Ino approached Tenten, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hi!"

Tenten spun around, kunai in hand, before relaxing, "Ino. Hey."

"I see your teammates are sparring?" Ino asked, nodding towards the clearing.

"Yeah," Tenten said wearily, "They've been at it for over an hour... I just hope it doesn't get too intense..."

"This isn't too intense already?" Ino asked shaking her head, "Geez, you team really is full of training freaks..."

"They're not supposed to spar against each other," Tenten said worriedly, "I'm scared they'll overdo it, especially Neji. He's already really angry, and he's lost control in a fight when he's been angry before..."

Ino nodded, remembering what Tenten was referring to; the fateful fight between Neji and Hinata during the first Chuunin Exam.

"So you're waiting to intervene if it gets too tough?" Ino asked, and Tenten nodded.

"I'd stop them, but honestly, this fight was always going to happen. It's been postponed for five years already. It's best they finish it off, but I just wish Gai-sensei was around... not that he'd allow it, but..."

"Well, your team certainly is exciting," Ino commented, "Shikamaru and Chouji would _never _fight, even if I bribed them with food or something. They're happy just sitting in a field and staring at skies, or eating..."

"Yeah, well," Tenten shrugged, "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask if you or Neji knew where Hinata was," Ino said, "Naruto wanted me to deliver flowers to her..."

Tenten smiled slightly at this, glancing at the bouquet.

"She's at the academy. Hanabi's graduating today."

"Oh, okay thanks," Ino smiled, "I'll just-"

"PRIMARY LOTUUUUUS!"

Lee's loud yell interrupted Ino's words, and Tenten whirled around, scroll in hand.

Somehow, for some reason, Neji had stopped spinning, and his Kaiten had all but disappeared. The red blur that was Lee was now racing towards him, bandages flying behind him.

"Oh no!" Tenten gasped, as Lee suddenly reappeared behind Neji, "Lee, don't!"

The bandages whipped around Neji's form, and as the two hurtled through the air, it almost seemed like Neji had him. But the Hyuuga prodigy managed to push his hands out from behind him, letting lose an enormous blast of condensed air and chakra.

"EIGHT TRIGRAMS, AIR PALM!" Neji shouted, and Lee suddenly shot back, as Neji barrelled towards the ground.

The Hyuuga managed to break his fall by rolling, though Lee crashed into the tree. They both quickly righted themselves however, the red chakra around Lee's form dissipating as he came back to normal. They both stood there, at opposite ends of the clearing, glaring at one another, and panting, chests heaving as they fought to catch their breaths.

Tenten found her eyes wandering over Neji's bare torso – the drops of swear rolling down his abs, the way his pectorals contracted as he breathed heavily, the way his dark, sweat-drenched hair framed his furious, but scarily handsome face.

Across from him, Lee wiped his wet spikes out of his eyes, his muscled arms shaking slightly, his chest covered by a sheen of sweat as well.

Ino watched the spectacle open-mouthed, her eyes flicking from one boy to another.

She finally managed to find her voice, and speak.

"Th-that's _Lee_?" she asked Tenten in an awed whisper.

Tenten nodded grimly.

"What – what _happened _to him?"

"Sai. Sai happened to him."

"...Sai? But this is – this is unbelievable. I mean – _wow, _Neji is just _gorgeous, _and devastatingly _sexy_, with his _chest _and –"

Ino didn't seem to notice the sudden glare Tenten shot at her for these words, and continued, still awestruck

"But Lee! Who knew he had such – such _potential _hiding behind that bowl-cut and that spandex! What a _body_! I never knew he was so _hot_! And his face – he's really _cute_!"

"Ino, please, he's my teammate," Tenten groaned, not wanting to hear an appraisal of Lee's attributes.

"And he's _tanned_!" Ino went on, transfixed, "I've always liked the pale ones like Sasuke-kun and Sai-kun but – oh _wow, _I've never seen such a gloriously tanned, toned body like-"

"Ino," Tenten said pointedly, "_Stop _it."

Lee and Neji, in the meanwhile, had charged at each other again, and were now engaged in a vicious taijutsu battle.

Their forms leapt and dodged, whipping around one another, their movements so perfect and coordinated that it seemed like a dance. Neji was more elegant in his fighting style, relying more on sliding and spinning from stance to stance, his hands and arms lashing out. Lee relied more on jumping and twisting in the air, kicking and punching furiously.

"They're both so – just – wow! I could sit and watch _them _spar all day..." Ino said dreamily.

"Ino!" Tenten shrieked, "Snap out of it! They're my teammates, not eye candy!"

"They _are_," Ino protested, "You lucky girl!"

"Lee's like a brother to me!" Tenten hissed, "Don't say such – NO!"

Tenten leaped forwards suddenly, as Neji and Lee charged at each other one final time. Lee's form was blazing with chakra again, and flames licked his right hand and fist. Neji's form was also emanating blue chakra, and he held an enormous kunai in his hand, with also glowed with chakra.

Tenten recognized the attacks immediately – Lee's was a modification of Gai's Morning Peacock, which he'd recently learnt, though he hadn't perfected the attack yet. Neji's was actually a collaboration jutsu which _they _had developed together, wherein he'd cover her weapons with his chakra as she aimed them, making them five times deadlier and able to penetrate through pretty much anything.

"NEJI! LEE!" Tenten yelled, leaping up high above them, "STOP!"

They didn't listen to her though, in their rage, and continued to run at each other, barely a few feet away.

"IDIOTS!" Tenten cried, her hands a blur as she swiped her finger against her teeth before pressing it against her scroll. There was a poof, and seconds later, two large chains appeared in her hands.

With perfect accuracy, Tenten hurled the chains at her teammates, who were now just a foot apart.

The chains whipped around Neji and Lee's torsos not even a second too late, and Tenten yanked viciously.

The two boys flew backwards, in opposite directions, crashing against the tree trunks, their attacks fizzling away.

Neji slid down the tree trunk, landing on his knees, before tilting forwards and falling; he'd run out of chakra.

Lee, too, fell to his hands and knees, panting heavily, before collapsing on the ground; he was equally exhausted.

"Idiots!" Tenten repeated, landing smoothly, sending her chains back to whatever dimension she had summoned them from.

She rushed towards Neji, rolling him over so she could quickly check his pulse.

She heaved a sigh of relief – he was fine, he'd only fainted from overexertion. She averted her eyes from his smooth chest and rushed over to Lee, checking his pulse as well. He, too, was fine.

Tenten buried her face into her hands, cursing her two teammates for their stubbornness. They'd taken it too far already; and if that last attack had hit, they would have injured one another seriously.

_This is why Gai-sensei didn't want them to spar, _she realised, _but I never thought it would get this bad..._

XoXoX

It was a few more minutes before Neji and Lee stirred, rubbing at their eyes and struggling up. Lee woke up first, and attempted to stand.

"Don't you _dare_," Tenten warned him, "You already pushed it, Lee. You two could have killed each other."

Lee had the decency to look ashamed as he glanced over at Neji's figure.

"I – I'm sorry," he murmured, "We did – go too far..."

"That's right," Tenten snapped, before softening, "How are you feeling? Have you broken anything? Did he get any internal organs?"

"I will – once I'm – done with you-" Neji croaked, as he too came to consciousness and attempted to stand.

"Don't even think about it, Neji," Tenten said, shooting him a glare so fierce that the Hyuuga actually seemed surprised, "You two are _morons, _absolute _morons_! You realise what you would have done if I hadn't stopped you? Do you realised what – freaking _idiots!"_

Her voice shook slightly, and she bit her lip. She wouldn't get emotional about this, she _wouldn't. _It's not like they would even understand but – they'd nearly ruined _everything! _The team dynamics, their relationship (which had grown strong over the years) – _everything!_

"Tenten! Tenten!" Lee cried, "Don't be upset! I said I'm sorry!"

He began to move towards her, but then stopped, looking up at Neji, who was glaring again.

Lee met his gaze, and something seemed to pass between them. Lee smiled slightly, and then shook his head, but didn't move after that.

"Tenten," Neji began, his voice hoarse.

It send shivers down her spine.

"I – we – didn't mean to worry you. It won't happen again. I promise."

He looked her in the eye, and Tenten could tell that he meant it.

"Well, good," she grumped, "If it does I'm sticking you _both _wit windmill shuriken, where it _hurts."_

Neji and Lee both winced, but said nothing.

"Are either of you injured?" Tenten asked, her voice gentler, "Lee, did he-"

"I – think he closed some of the tenketsu on my arms and chest," Lee admitted reluctantly.

Tenten saw Neji smirk at this, and rolled her eyes.

"But other than that, just scratches," Lee said, "Don't worry yourself, Tenten."

"Neji? What about you? I know you're injured too, so don't try acting tough."

"I – just minor wounds," Neji muttered, gesturing at his arms and chest.

Tenten glared at him, and he spoke again, his expression sour.

"And – I think he broke my wrist..."

Lee looked utterly delighted at this.

"So that means I win?"

"I shut off your chakra points, _moron!"_

"Not all of them!"

"I would've if-"

"Enough!" Tenten snapped, "Lee, we need to get you to a medic _now. _Those tenketsu will be a pain if we don't get them opened up fast. Trust me, I would now. There's a Hyuuga medic-nin at the hospital who will do it for you."

"Yes, Tenten," Lee said obediently.

"And Neji – you – we'll have to bind your wrist before we move you, but you're going to suck up your ego and go to the damn hospital as well, _whether you like it or not!"_

Neji glared at her, but then shrugged.

"Hn..."

"Fine," Tenten said, "Lee, can you wait a moment, while I-"

"I'll take him!" Ino chimed cheerfully, "He needs a medic, fast, right? Then you can fix up Neji's wrist!"

"You're still here?" Tenten asked, before nodding, "Fine. Lee, go with Ino. She'll take you there. Stay with her, okay. No running off by yourself."

"Alright," Lee said, struggling up.

"Oh, don't worry, I've got you," Ino said, far too happily as she rushed to Lee's side, draping one of his arms around her neck so he could lean on her.

"Uh – thanks," Lee said, rather confused by her behaviour.

Ino had never been _this _nice to him before.

Tenten rolled her eyes, shooting Ino a don't-you-try-anything-inappropriate-with-my-innocent-teammate look.

Ino just winked back, placing a hand on Lee's toned back, as the two shuffled off.

Leaving Neji and Tenten alone.

Or rather, leaving Tenten alone with a _shirtless _Neji!

"See," Neji muttered, "This is why I told him to wear a shirt. She's going to molest him. I know it."

"Why do _you _care so much?" Tenten asked, sitting down next to him, "And maybe it's good that he gets this kind of attention once in awhile. I don't think Sakura's continuous rejections would do much good for his self-esteem."

"He has Gai to boost him up," Neji muttered, breathing in sharply as Tenten took his wrist.

"Sorry," she said, "But I'll have to wrap it up before we move you."

"He doesn't need all this – unnecessary _attention_," Neji continued, as Tenten began to wrap his wrist.

Tenten looked up at him, slightly amused.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were jealous."

"Tch," Neji scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous."

"For the record, Ino thinks highly of _you _as well," Tenten said.

"I couldn't care less what that blonde airhead thinks," Neji muttered, "It's y- just tie it up and get this done with."

Tenten tied it, her fingers lingering on Neji's hand.

"Tenten," he said suddenly, "What _did _you tell Lee earlier? When you saw him?"

His voice was steady and his expression calm, but Tenten knew him well enough. Behind that cool white gaze, he seemed to be troubled.

She smirked slightly, hope bubbling in her again.

"Why does it matter to you so much?" she asked lightly.

"Just answer, damn it," Neji growled, and Tenten's stomach leapt.

For some reason, she really liked it when he was angry. There was something thrilling about it, about how he transformed from his usual stoic demeanor; and if, _if _it was for the reason she hoped it was... but Tenten didn't dare entertain that thought. Not yet.

"He was whining and crying," she said honestly, "You know how pathetic it is. I felt bad for him. So I told him not to worry, and that he looked 'youthful'. And then he mauled me like he always does. It didn't mean anything, Neji. You, of all people, should know that."

"What do you mean?" he asked, raising one elegant eyebrow.

"Lee's like a brother to me," Tenten said, "I don't know what you thought when you walked in on us, but trust me, there was nothing – _weird _– going on. He was just being his usual, dumb self."

"So you weren't 'taken in by his charms' then?" Neji asked, quoting Lee.

"Please, Neji," Tenten rolled her eyes, "I'd never take you to be the kind to fall for Lee's crap. Why do you even care so much?"

"It's nothing," Neji brushed her off, "Come on, let's go to the hospital."

"No!" Tenten shook her head, "I need to know! _Why _do you care so much, Neji? Why did it bother you so much? Why did you – _fight _with him like that?"

"I told you, it's _nothing_," Neji said, his voice taking a warning note, "Come _on, _Tenten..."

"No, _tell me!" _Tenten pressed, "Tell me why you care so much that I complimented Lee, or that he was hugging me, or that-"

She was cut off mid-sentence, however, when Neji wrapped his non-injured arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest, before tilting his head down and crashing his lips against hers.

_Oh... wow... _

He kissed her roughly, intimately, nibbling at her bottom lip before thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Tenten tangled her hands in his hair, and he pulled her closer, kissing her deeply and thoroughly.

Her nerves seemed like they were on fire, and her heart was plummeting rapidly – it was the most exhilarating feeling even.

He finally pulled away, staring her straight in the eye, his lips slightly swollen and his hand still pressing her into him.

"_That's_ why," he murmured huskily, before leaning in again.

XoXoX

When Maito Gai returned from his mission, he was utterly befuddled.

_Something _was wrong with his team. Something had happened to them while he was away, and he had no idea what.

Firstly, when he walked to the training ground, eager to greet his students, he was greeted with a surprise.

The ground was littered with craters, and hundreds of gleaming weapons; a normal occurrence, of course, and general aftermath of Neji and Tenten's sparring sessions.

However, what was utterly _unexpected, _was the positions of the two students themselves. They weren't _sparring, _that was for sure – but were rather pressed intimately, _far too intimately, _against a tree, and were _ravaging _one another with their _mouths!_

Gai screamed at this, something about the defilement of youth and Neji and Tenten sprang apart, blushing scarlet.

Neji just glared at him for ruining the moment, and Tenten attempted to stutter out some kind of explanation.

Gai finally managed to calm himself down, the shock settling to be replaced by joy, true joy. He'd always known the two would land up together sooner or later; it was rather obvious, actually. He was just mad they'd choose to do it in his absence? Did they not trust him, or something? What, did he think he'd interrupt their moments by screaming something about youth and – oh, right.

Gai left the two to their own devices thereafter, but not before giving them a cheerful speech about the joys of youthful love and blossoming hormones.

He then set about to look for the apple of his eye - his precious little Lee.

He stumbled upon a gaggle of blushing girls on the way to the next clearing, and wondered what they could possibly be doing there.

"Neji's in the next clearing," Gai said, "Though I'd appreciate it if you _didn't _spy on my students. Tenten would probably skewer you all if you even attempted."

The girls looked at him confused, but apparently intimidated by his fierce (eyebrows) glare, scampered off.

Gai stepped into the clearing.

There was a strange boy there, clad in nothing but dark green shorts. He had spiky hair, and was quite lean, his bare chest gleaming with sweat.

_What a shameless child, _Gai thought, _to flaunt his body so flagrantly! Though I admit, he's well-built... still, such impudent exhibition! It's the opposite of what one like my dear, innocent Lee would do!_

Suddenly, the boy turned around, his face lighting up.

"GAI-SENSEI!" he shouted, "YOU'RE BACK! HOW DO YOU LIKE MY NEW LOOK?"

He grinned, an effulgent, incandescent grin, shooting a thumbs-up sign at Gai.

"L-L-Lee?" Gai managed to croak out, before falling backwards, fainting.

XoXoX

_Author's Note – That was fun =) Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! _

_And yeah, there was some NaruHina/SasuSaku in that too. I couldn't help myself =P I'm sorry if those pairings bother any of you, but I love them! Anyways, the focus was NejiTen, so yeah. And NO that was CERTAINLY NOT Lee/Ino. She was just being a harmless flirt, nothing else =P I just needed someone to hit on Lee, and Tenten wasn't going to do it, and Ino seems like the type who would be straightforward when it comes to complimenting boys on their appearances. _


	18. NejiTen: A Bloody Night

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto_

_Author's Note- __**Spoilers for Naruto Manga Chapter 539. If you haven't read that, go read it first, or this may not make much sense to you! If you haven't read it, and still want to proceed, there is a summary of the chapter at the bottom of this fic, in the author's notes**_

::::::

"Neji!" Sakura cried, jade eyes widening, "You –"

"It was me," the white-eyed Hyuuga said, his lips curling upwards into a malevolent smirk.

His white eyes were empty, and his face was set into a cold sneer.

"I killed your precious Jounin," Neji said, voice menacingly soft, "And Sakura... you know what?"

"Wh-what's wrong with you?" Sakura cried, "You can't – you're not – "

Neji slid into position, chakra glowing at his fingertips.

"You're next," he whispered, as Sakura desperately made the hand-seals.

::::::

"Tenten-san!"

The kunoichi in question jumped from her vantage points on the rocks, as a small white slug suddenly appeared on her shoulder.

"K-Katsuyu-san?" Tenten asked, surprised, ducking down to avoid the shuriken whizzing their way.

"What's the matter?"

"Tenten-san, Sakura-san has asked for your assistance, immediately," the slug summon said, "It's about your teammate, Neji-san..."

"Neji?" Tenten shrieked, avoiding yet another volley of kunai, and retaliating by flinging out her own weapons with perfect accuracy.

Five Zetsus toppled over.

Tenten's brown eyes were wide, and her flushed face had turned a deathly white.

"What happened to him? Is he – he's alright, isn't he? He's not – he's can't be-" Tenten's voice cracked, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

"No," Katsuyu said immediately, "It's probably worse."

::::::

"Lee!" Tenten cried, spotting a racing green blur, as she and Katsuyu made their way towards the medical base.

"Tenten!" her teammate cried, leaping onto the branch next to her, "About Neji, did you hear?"

"I – did," Tenten said, gritting her teeth, "It's not like him Lee, I'm telling you, there's something wrong! Neji would _never _attack-"

"I _know _that, Tenten," Lee told her, "Which is why we're going to have to find out what the problem is."

The story Katsuyu had regaled them with made absolutely no sense at all to Neji's two teammates and closest friends. Apparently, he'd been injured and had gone to the medical tent to be healed. Sakura had healed him, but soon after, three of the Jounin medical ninjas had been killed. It was suspected that there was a spy in the camp – Neji had offered to investigate, before revealing that _he _was the spy himself. He had then made an attempt to assassinate Sakura as well, who was currently battling him tooth and nail in the medical tent.

"Please hurry," Katsuyu said worriedly from Tenten's shoulder, "Sakura-san is strong, but Neji –"

"We know, Katsuyu-san," Tenten said grimly, pumping more chakra to her legs, "We've trained with him every single day."

They fled through the forest, the ghastly moon lighting their path with an eerie pale light. They ran, faster than they had before, towards their teammate, their companion, their _friend _– hoping that they would be able to fix whatever it was that was wrong with him.

::::::

Sakura gasped, pressing a hand to her chest and pumping in small blasts of chakra to reopen the tenketsu. She had barely recovered when Neji attacked again, this time sending a blast of air her way. Sakura just managed to leap out of the way, and a wooden table shattered, sending bottles of medicine and metal surgical tools flying everywhere.

"Neji – stop it!" Sakura cried between labored breaths, though she knew it was no use as Neji charged at her again.

She'd never known the Hyuuga boy too well, so it wasn't like she'd be able to get through whatever jutsu he was under. Sakura suspected genjutsu or Shintensen, though it was probably the former. She'd tried dispelling it with a chakra-powered jab at his forehead, but the genjutsu had been too strong.

Sakura rolled to the side to avoid Neji's hand, leaping up and kicking out. The Hyuuga dodged elegantly, and struck again, hitting her leg, and Sakura groaned, as she fell to her knees.

His blows were lethal.

Sakura cursed as she scrabbled around for a kunai, but realised she didn't have her weapons pack with her. Instead, she reached over and grabbed the nearest thing to her, a scalpel, and infusing it with chakra, sent it flying towards Neji's direction.

The boy battered it away as if it were nothing.

_Of course, _Sakura thought bitterly, _he trains with Tenten... my throws are nothing compared to what she must be sending at him... I can't outmatch him in terms of speed or taijutsu either, because he's trained under Gai-sensei and is nearly as good as Lee!_

Sakura was a formidable kunoichi with her super-strength and taijutsu. But any member of Team Gai would prove to be her worst possible match-up with their superior prowess in taijutsu. Genjutsu was pointless as well since he already was under one, powerful enough to fool that Bykaugan.

Neji sent another blast of concentrated air, and Sakura flew backwards this time, hitting the wall with a sickening crack.

"No..." she moaned, feeling something warm seep down her forehead, "Not now..."

That blow had landed her a concussion at the least – Sakura attempted to stifle the blood flow as Neji advanced, his palms glowing.

"No... don't..." Sakura groaned, "You're not – Neji... you don't know what you're doing..."

Neji ignored her, baring his teeth in a feral grin that made chills travel down Sakura's spine.

He drew his palm back, intent on delivering the final blow – when suddenly, out of nowhere came a barrage of gleaming weapons.

Neji whirled around, spinning into his Kaiten, as a blue dome of chakra surrounded his spinning form.

Sakura shielded herself behind his absolute defense, as weapon after weapon ricocheted off the chakra.

_Good timing, _she thought wryly – even a few seconds later would have been too late.

Her head was reeling and Sakura saw black splotches appear, obfuscating her vision.

_No, _she thought, pumping chakra to her brain, _I can't black out right now..._

She felt arms around her, suddenly, and saw green, lots of green, until she saw Rock Lee's concerned face in her vision.

"Sakura-san?" he cried, "Are you alright?"

"I – Neji..." Sakura croaked, attempting to keep her eyes open.

"Don't worry about that," Lee told her, smiling widely, "Tenten can handle _him, _trust me."

He shot her a thumbs up, his teeth dazzling, and Sakura couldn't help but shield her eyes.

"I should get you out of here," Lee said, picking her up, "Those two can get pretty destructive..."

He whisked her out of the room, and Sakura looked back at the room, watching the two duelling teammates. Neji was out of his Kaiten now, and Tenten looked absolutely fierce, her eyes flashing as she let out weapon after weapon. They were locked in an intense taijutsu spar, jumping, leaping, dodging, kicking, punching, weaving in and out, like a perfectly synchronized dance. Tenten was yelling something, though Sakura couldn't discern what, punctuating their spar with her words, and flurries of weapons. Even in her dazed state Sakura noted that Neji hadn't manage to land a single hit on Tenten – or vice-versa. It was like they could predict the other's every move, and Sakura supposed that's what being true teammates meant.

Neji moved with a wild, reckless grace, elegant in his maddened fury. Tenten matched his moves with her own, her eyebrows jutting down and her brown eyes set in a concentrated stare, not leaving his pulsing white ones. Neji moved like some kind of wild animal, some kind of rampaging, yet majestic beast – and Tenten was the only one who could possible tame him...

The last Sakura saw of them was Tenten rushing at Neji, nunchaks whirling lethally as the Hyuuga sent out air blast after air blast to deter her path.

Then moments later, she was laid down on a bed, and the warmth of Lee's arms was gone, and Shizune's terrified face filled her vision.

::::::

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tenten shrieked, blocking Neji's palm thrust with her nunchak and lashing out at him with her palm, "Neji, this isn't you!"

The boy said nothing, his face still contorted in that evil mask, so different from the emotionless expression he usually wore while sparring.

He spun around on his heel elegantly, but she knew what he was going to try next, and her nunchak was blocking his blow again, as she released three shuriken. The advantage (if it could be called this) of Neji being under genjutsu was that he wasn't quite as creative as he normally was during spars, relying only on his standard moves (which Tenten knew nearly as well as he did). There was no spontaneity from him, and so Tenten couldn't be caught off-guard.

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" Tenten shouted, as one of her shuriken glanced against Neji's cheek, drawing blood.

Normally she would have prided herself at drawing first blood – but this wasn't a normal spar, and Neji didn't even flinch, just leapt at her again, his hair whipping behind him, his white eyes dilated crazily.

_I need to constrain him, if I'm going to get through to him, _Tenten realised, _it'll be too dangerous trying that otherwise..._

She leapt back, reaching for her scroll, quickly flicking through handseals. She didn't have enough time though, as Neji was above her in less than a second. Tenten cursed, leaving the jutsu halfway, and switched back to defensive mode.

"Tenten! Neji!" a new voice called, as Neji just managed to dodge Tenten's incoming fist.

"Lee!" Tenten cried out, glad that he chose to show up. She needed him right now if she wanted to execute her plan, "Cover for me for a minute!"

"Sure thing!" Lee yelled, and just as Tenten leapt back, Lee lunged forward, taking her place.

"NEJI, MY RIVAL!" Lee bellowed, kicking out, "THIS ISN'T YOU! LEAF SPINNING WIND!"

The two exchanged blows, darting from place to place, only visible as blurs of green and white, and Tenten took the opportunity to bite her index finger and quickly make the required hand seals before slamming her palm onto her enormous scroll.

There was a puff of smoke, and seconds later, an enormous pair of chains appeared.

"Get out of range, Lee!" Tenten yelled, and Lee looked over, nodding quickly, before resuming his battle with Neji.

Tenten loathed the thought of using these chains to restrain her own teammate, her dearest friend – but they really didn't have a choice. She'd never seen Neji like this, and her heart ached at his wild expression, those crazed Byakugan eyes, that malicious aura – it wasn't Neji, it was genjutsu, and though Team Gai were no experts at genjutsu, she _would _break him out of it.

Lee looked over at Tenten every few moments, and Tenten spun her chains, waiting to strike. She'd have to time it perfectly, or else Neji would use the Kaiten to deflect them. She'd have to throw them when he was about to attack Lee, when he was in his offensive position.

She waited for a few moments, as Lee quickly switched to defensive mode, and Neji slid into a familiar stance – the Jyuuken.

"NOW!" Lee and Tenten both yelled out simultaneously, and with a great leap, Lee bounded across the room next to Tenten, as Neji lunged forward to strike.

At the same moment, Tenten whipped the chains forward – they wrapped around a shocked Neji, who'd been busy pursuing Lee, chaining his arms to his torso and rendering him incapable of moving.

Neji struggled against the chains, but to no avail – Tenten's weapons were of the best quality, and these in particular sucked out chakra. Though he tried freeing himself by emitting chakra from his whole body, in a move like the Kaiten, it was no use.

"I hate this," Tenten cried as she watched her struggling teammate, rushing forward to her teammate, "Neji, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry for this-"

"Tenten, calm down," Lee said, "You can apologize later. He's not himself, and you're the only one that can help him."

"Neji," Tenten said, her voice breaking as she fell to her knees beside him, placing her hands on his cheeks. He struggled and even attempted to bite her hand, glaring at her with an intense hatred he had _never _directed at her – his glare was like a kunai stabbing into her heart, but Tenten persevered, holding his face tightly.

"Neji," she said, her voice softer, "Come on, it's me... Tenten... you remember me, I'm your teammate, right?"

Nothing happened, and Neji continued to thrash about, attempting to break free, his glare no less murderous than before.

"Get the hell away from me," he hissed, his voice dripping with contempt, and Tenten breathed heavily, hating the sound.

"Neji, it's genjutsu, you can break it!" she shrieked, her eyes boring into his, "Snap out of it, don't you remember me? RELEASE! RELEASE!"

She was shaking now, and it made no difference. Neji just smiled cruelly.

"Teammate?" he scoffed, "I don't care for teammates..."

It almost sounded like his old self – when he was a stubborn, vengeful genin, and Tenten's heart nearly shattered.

"Neji, come on!" she cried, her voice tearful, "Don't do this! Come back to me! I – I don't know what I'll do without you!"

There was no response, just that same, hateful stare.

"NEJI, NEJI, COME ON! RELEASE!" Tenten shrieked hysterically, "DAMNIT, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? DON'T YOU REMEMBER ME, TENTEN! AND LEE, YOUR GOOFY, SPANDEX-CLAD RIVAL LEE WITH ALL HIS YOUTHFULLNESS? WE'RE YOUR TEAMMATES, COME ON!"

Neji continued to glare at her, though his face was twitching now – he almost looked confused, and his glare had lessened in intensity.

"NEJI!" Tenten yelled, nearly bashing their heads together, their faces dangerously close, "Damnit, come _on_! Don't do this – to me, Neji, I – I lo-"

"Tenten!"

It was his voice this time – his voice, strained and husky, but filled with emotion; surprise, confusion, and _concern._

Tenten froze, staring into his eyes.

Confused, concerned, _warm _white eyes.

"Tenten – what – what happened?" Neji asked, "Why are you – here – are you okay? Your squad-"

He was back.

"Neji!" Tenten cried, throwing her arms around him.

The chains were still between, pressing painfully against her chest and ribs, but she didn't care, as she pulled him closer, burying her face in his long hair.

He wanted to hug her back, but he couldn't – his arms were restrained. And he had absolutely _no _idea what was going on.

"Oh, Neji, you're back, you're alright, I was so worried!" Tenten was sobbing, and Lee, who had been standing behind her, leaned down on his other side, patting his shoulder.

"I'm glad you are back to normal, Neji, my rival," Lee said, smiling a genuine smile.

"N-normal?" Neji asked, his voice choked, "What – are you talking about? What happened – to me?"

Tenten pulled away after a few seconds, rubbing her yes with the back of her palm, before making a hand seal. The chains around Neji disappeared with a poof of smoke.

Neji surveyed his teammates – Tenten brown hair was coming loose from her buns, and her bangs were stuck to her forehead. She was covered in sweat, grime and blood, but she had a radiant smile, and her brown eyes were sparkling. Lee was in a similar condition, his usually shiny black mop of hair matted with blood and grime, his face covered in a few scratches. But he, too, was beaming, looking utterly relieved more than anything.

"Oh, Neji, you had us so worried," Tenten said, looking at him in a way that made him want to draw her into his arms this time, and tell her everything would be okay.

"What – happened to me?" he repeated his question.

"Do you – remember anything?" Tenten asked, and Neji squeezed his eyes shut, trying to recall what had happened.

"I was with my squad – Kiba was there – I remember – seeing the moon – in the sky," Neji said slowly, "And then – pain – my Byakugan – it was burning..."

"Go on," Tenten said gently, placing her hand on his.

Neji squeezed her hand, entwining their fingers.

"It was agony – agony I've never felt before," he said, "I could just see black and red – like blood – everywhere – and then –"

"Yes," Lee pressed, dark brows furrowed together.

"Then I heard your voice, Tenten," Neji said, looking at his female teammate, "And then Lee's – and I saw you – saw you both – and that's all –"

He glanced around the room, panicking slightly.

"I don't know how I got here, I don't know what I did – were we fighting, Tenten? Why did I have your chains on me? What happened?"

"Shh, shh, it's alright now," Tenten said softly, hugging him again, and this time, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"It was genjutsu, Neji," Tenten murmured, "But it's over now. You broke through it... it's okay..."

"Yeah," Lee said, "Though I wonder who cast it... and what if there are more shinobi out there like Neji was?"

"We got through to him, didn't we?" Tenten said, still in her teammate's warm embrace, "We'll get through the others!"

"You're right," Lee said, standing up and grinning, "We'll figure the enemy's plans out... they can cast all the genjutsu and try as many dirty tricks as they want! They won't be able to break the bonds of teamwork and friendship! We just proved that!"

"Yeah," Tenten said, looking over fondly at Neji, who still looked rather disoriented as he stared at her, hundreds of unanswered questions in his eyes.

However there was no time for that now, and Neji let go of her, both teammates standing up.

"Let's inform Shizune, Sakura and the others," Tenten said, not wanting to tell Neji about what had transpired quite yet – he'd be overwhelmed by guilt at his murder of the medical Jounin, and right now, he just needed to rest. They would deal with that later, and considering it was genjutsu, Tenten was sure he wouldn't face any dire consequences.

"Yeah, come on," Lee said, "After this... we have a war to win!"

::::::

_Author's Notes – so basically this is what I would want chapter 540 to be! It takes off right after 539. Basically, what happens in 539 is Neji suddenly feels sick and kinda falls over, after looking at the moon. Then Kiba takes him to get healed. Sakura heals him, but then three medic Jounin are found dead. Neji says he'll investigate who the spy/killer is. At the end of the chapter, he says that it's him, and his this weird, evil (but really hot) look on his face._

_So basically, I assumed that Neji was under genjutsu. Madara's probably trying for his Moon's Eye Plan, and is carrying it out. So Neji, when he looked at the moon, was placed under Madara's genjutsu, which affected him first because of his Byakugan and heightened optical powers. That's why he went all made and started killing people. I added the part about him battling Sakura, and Team Gai's intervention, obviously. Somehow, that's the only way I think he could be subdued... the guy's a freaking beast! (A sexy beast)_

_I know there are other theories about what happened (Zetsu taking over his body, clones, edo tensei, etc) but this is my interpretation of what happened._

_But yeah... hope you enjoyed... review, please, and let me know what you think!_


	19. Road to Neji and Tenten

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto_

_Author's Note: This is AU in that it is set in Madara's genjutsu or whatever. Basically the alternate universe in the Road to Ninja movie._

_Considering the movie hasn't released online in subbed, and I unfortunately don't live in Japan, I haven't seen it. I do, however, know parts of the plot. Such as Madara puts everyone in a genjutsu AU world, where their personalities are switched; except for Naruto, Sakura and, for some reason, Lee, all of whom retain their original personalities. _

_So this is a fun and sort of plotless little oneshot which features the AU/personality-swapped characters. I just thought it would be fun to see Pervy!Neji and Clumsy!Tenten together. There's so much scope for them, even though writing them is very different from writing canon NejiTen._

_Everyone is going to be VERY OOC. But I think that's one of the premises of the movie, in case you guys have seen the movie, drawings that have released, and the manga covers. I derived the new character personalities from those._

_If you're not up to date with Road to Ninja info and gossip this entire story is going to be confusing, pointless and overall stupid for you. Just warning you! Don't flame me after saying 'OMG so-and-so would NEVER act like that!' because I KNOW THEY WOULDN'T, the genjutsu alters personalities apparently, that's the point._

_It's from Rock Lee's perspective (let's assume for a moment that Naruto and Sakura aren't the only ones trapped in the genjutsu) and also a bit from Chouji's, and that's all I'm going to say for now._ _Also, the character personalities, different or not, are extremely exaggerated, just for kicks. _

_Hope you enjoy it! Please review :D _

_Warnings: Pervyness because Neji is a pervert. Some implicit sexual references (to things like jacking off, nothing serious). Also hints of SasuSaku, NaruHina, and if you squint, possible SasuNaru, though the latter could be interpreted as nothing more than bromantic friendship if you prefer to look it at that way. _

_Oh. And did I mention. CRACK. LOTS OF CRACK.  
_

**:::::**

**Road to Neji and Tenten**

also known as

**The Adventures of Nejiraiya and the Weapon Disastress of Konoha **

:::::

Rock Lee was in a good mood that day.

Considering his overly optimistic nature and his fervent enthusiasm for life in general, this was not particularly noteworthy.

However, his long strides seemed unusually light (despite the tons of weights strapped to his calves), his teeth gleamed more effervescently than usual, and his shiny mop of hair bounced up and down merrily like some sort of magical moving mushroom as he ran (or rather sprinted at an inhumanly fast pace) towards his training grown.

Today would be an extremely good day because his good friends Neji and Tenten had just gotten back from a mission, and Gai-sensei had promised that he would teach Lee a new jutsu.

It would be an impossibly good day, because Lee would master his new jutsu within hours, and then Gai-sensei would be impressed and moved to tears, and after hugging the boy fiercely amid splashing waves and a setting sun, he would treat his three students to dinner at that great new sushi joint which Sakura often frequented during her breaks from the hospital and –

"Lee!"

Lee's train of thought (which was rapidly approaching the concept of a shiny, sparkly date with Sakura-san) halted at the sound of that familiar voice.

"Tenten!" Lee spun around, eyes shining, "You're back from your mission!"

He was by her side, enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Ack – Lee – you're choking me!" Tenten struggled in his strong hold, before pushing him off, "Geez, it's nice to see you, but you have to calm down!"

"Haha, sorry Tenten," Lee grinned sheepishly, and the pair made their way to the training ground, "How was the mission?"

"It was good, pretty easy, just a B-rank," Tenten said casually, pulling out a kunai as they reached their training ground.

Lee proceeded to practice his taijutsu, and began mauling another tree.

A few moments later, however, Lee felt a something graze his cheek, and leapt back.

"Ah!" he cried, bringing his hand to his cheek. It stung, and when he pulled it away, he was shocked to see a line of blood had smudged onto his skin.

"Oh kami-sama, I am _so _sorry Lee!" Tenten shrieked, running towards him.

He turned his gaze slightly, and saw a kunai gleaming between the blades of grass.

"You – you – you attacked me?" Lee couldn't believe it, and his eyes started watering, "Tenten! Why are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Did I offend you?"

"No – no no, not at all!" Tenten said hastily, "It wasn't your fault, it was mine, the kunai slipped, and I-"

"Wait, _what?"_

Lee was flabbergasted, and he stared at Tenten in shock.

"I'm so sorry," Tenten said despondently, "I was aiming at that target and-"

Lee turned his head to the target she was pointing at.

The target which was _two entire feet _away from him.

"You missed," Lee said, staring at Tenten, "Your kunai _slipped, _and you _missed. Your _kunai slipped and _you _missed."

"Yes, I did, and I said I'm sorry," Tenten said, now growing impatient, "Stop rubbing it in, will you, I'm trying to improve-"

"Improve?" Lee cried hysterically, "Improve what? Your aim is _perfect _Tenten! You _never _miss!"

"Look it's nice of you to try to cheer me up," Tenten said, her face dropping, "But I know my own weaknesses, Lee…"

She bent down to pick up the fallen kunai, and began twirling it around her finger.

"Just yesterday on the mission, I threw a shuriken at an enemy shinobi and would've ended up giving Neji a bob-cut if he hadn't deflected it away with his kaiten… I swear, I think _he _was more likely to kill me than the enemies at that point... and I keep tearing my own clothes by mistake so they're all patched up and – ah!"

She fumbled for a second, and then hissed, as the kunai slipped out of her grasp, and fell to the floor.

"Tenten?"

"Damnit," Tenten cursed, bringing her index finger to her lips, and sucking on it, "Cut myself again… freaking kunai, so freaking sharp, I hate them…"

Lee's eyes nearly popped out of his mushroomed head at this statement.

Tenten was saying she _hated _weapons.

Tenten, the Weapons Mistress of Konoha, the weapons specialist – the girl who was freakishly obsessed with sharp metal to the extent that Naruto had once called it a fetish (this hadn't ended well for the future Hokage-to-be).

Tenten, the girl who had weapons hidden in her clothes, and perhaps even in her underwear (another hypothesis of Naruto, which predictably, also hadn't ended well).

And _that _very Tenten was saying that she hated weapons.

And she had cut herself by accident.

And she had also cut Lee by accident.

And she had missed – Tenten who never missed by even half a centimeter and who hit her target ten out of ten times – had missed her target, by an entire _two feet._

It was implausible.

However, Lee didn't have time to recover from the implausibility of it all, because at that time, his other teammate chose to make an appearance.

"Tenten-chan! Lee!"

"Neji-kun!" Tenten cried, spinning around.

"Tenten-chan? Neji-kun?" Lee muttered aloud.

It struck him strange, as neither of the two had ever deemed it necessary to use honorifics when addressing one another. They were so close, that it wasn't really even needed.

"Just got out of the hot springs," Neji said, looking extremely satisfied with himself for some reason, "It was most calming."

"Hot springs?" Tenten narrowed her eyes at him, "Men's or women's?"

"Men's, of course men's," Neji said, chuckling, "I'm very much a man even with my long hair, I'll have you know, so need need to cut it all off."

"Sorry about that," Tenten muttered, flushing, "And that was an accident, I know you're a man."

"Just checking," Neji said, winking, "In case you need clarification, I could always prove it to you-"

"Neji-kun!" Tenten squealed, flushing darker, "Shut up!"

Lee didn't quite understand what was going on, but he had the feeling that Neji's last comment had been exceedingly inappropriate in a way that he couldn't comprehend.

"Well anyways," Neji said coolly, flipping his long hair, which Lee noted, he hadn't tied, "Spar with me?"

"Sure," Tenten said, regaining her composure and walking towards her pack.

Neji nodded, looking over her intently as she bent over her pack, rummaging for her scrolls.

The veins around his eyes were pulsing, and Lee noticed that he had his dojutsu activated already.

"Neji?" Lee asked suddenly, "Why is your Byakugan on, you haven't even started sparri-eeeeaaaaahhh!"

Lee leapt backwards, as a barrage of shuriken came flying in his direction.

"TENTEN!" he shouted, shocked that she would unleash her metal at him for the second time that morning, "Why?"

"I'm SO sorry, those weren't meant for you!" Tenten cried hysterically, before pulling out a pair of nunchaks and charging at Neji, who was still staring straight ahead, Byakugan fully activated.

"PERVERT!" Tenten screeched, jumping up and swinging her nunchaks, "ECCHI!"

She leapt at Neji, but her blows were sadly misplaced, and the nunchaks hit the ground every time, ripping up large dents in the grass.

Neji didn't even have to try, and he stood there with his arms crossed, and a most ungentlemanly leer on his face as his Byakugan gaze remained fixed on his teammate, who was dancing around in vain, trying to make her weapon go where she wanted it to.

"You should really stop bouncing so much," he commented, grinning lecherously, and Tenten screamed out in frustration.

"YOU LECH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

She discarded the nunchaks, nearly bringing out Lee's head in the process as she tossed them to the side, and pulled out a large katana.

"That's a large katana you have there, Tenten-chan," Neji observed, "But I bet mine's larger…"

"SHUT UP OR I'LL STICK YOU WITH THIS!" Tenten threated, brandishing her weapon.

"I don't think I'd like that, don't really swing that way," Neji said smoothly, dodging her easily, "How about _I _stick _you _with something _else_ –"

"WHY YOU-"

"Want me to stick _my _katana into _your _sheath, Tenten-chan?"

Lee watched his teammates, who usually got along swimmingly, fight it out. Tenten was furious – her face was flushed and she was clearly trying very hard to beat Neji, though her efforts weren't too successful.

Neji was only edging her on with the most lewd comments, which were most unfitting of him; he usually maintained a sense of courtesy, decorum and decency that most men didn't possess. It was unlike him to behave with such scandalous outrage, and the salacious expression on his face was downright disturbing.

Lee couldn't focus on Neji or his ridiculous behavior for too long; he had to keep his eyes fixed on Tenten.

Tenten who was unleashing weapon after weapon.

Unfortunately, her rage only seemed to worsen her already dismal aim, and this meant that Lee had to leap and dodge as his crazed teammate threw her projectiles in every possible direction except for Neji's.

Finally Tenten seemed to lose her patience after another one of Neji's innuendos: he had leered at her and mentioned something about "being good with his fingers" and "stimulating her chakra points till she screamed".

Lee winced at Tenten's furious expression though Neji just continued to leer unashamedly.

The girl bought out two familiar scrolls, and drew her finger against the paper – she didn't need to bite it, seeing that she was already bleeding in multiple places – all self-inflicted accidental wounds.

"Tenten, no-" Lee began, but Tenten didn't care, and Neji's eyes were too fixed on her chest or other parts of her anatomy to bother trying to stop her.

"TWIN RISING DRAGONS!"

"KAITEN!" Neji managed to spin into his jutsu just in time, though it wasn't really necessary.

A couple knives and a large scythe bounced off his chakra shield, but the rest of the weapons exploded outwards from Tenten's form, whizzing through the air and lacerating branches and cutting leaves and forcing Lee to take shelter behind a large oak tree to avoid being shredded.

After the onslaught was over and all of Tenten's weapons clattered uselessly to the ground, Neji emerged from his Kaiten and smirked.

"You're in my _range,_" he informed Tenten, and the perverted smirk grew wider as Tenten's eyes widened in shock.

"Don't you _dare touch me-"_

"Eight Trigram – Two Palm!" Neji leapt forwards, arms outstretched, hands like bared claws; it was unlike his usual Jyuuken hand motion in which he jabbed the opponent with two fingers, and Lee wondered why he'd changed it until-

"AAAAAAHHHHHH! DIEEEE!"

Tenten's scream nearly shattered Lee's eardrums, and she managed to bend over backwards just in time, so that Neji's eager hands barely grazed against her chest.

By the time she was back up, she looked positively murderous, and her fist connected with Neji's jaw with a sickening crack; finally aimed right.

"I WILL FUCKING CASTRATE YOU!" Tenten shrieked.

"You can – get in my pants – if you want – but don't cut it off –" Neji panted, as he dodged and ducked under her blows, "You may find – at a point – you'll miss it –"

"I WILL TAKE THAT STICK LODGED UP YOUR BACKSIDE AND BEAT YOU WITH IT-"

"Again – I don't like things going up me – four palms!" Neji bit out, now on the offensive, his fingers flying, "I prefer doing the going up myself – and to be honest – eight palms - the front is better than the back – though if you prefer- sixteen palms -"

"GAH!" Tenten exploded, exceedingly frustrated as she maneuvered her body so that Neji's blows actually hit her _chakra points _rather than other areas he seemed to be aiming at.

Lee figured she was pretty desperate if she was _letting _herself get hit in the chakra points rather than letting him poke her elsewhere on her body.

He watched his teammates for a few more seconds. Neji was poking at Tenten furiously, his Byakugan pulsing, and his teeth bared in the most lascivious smile ever. Lee suddenly realized that the Hyuuga jutsu did have a _lot _of touching and poking and prodding.

Had it never hit him how inappropriate that was?

Of course, with Tenten's shrieking, and Neji's lecherous expression and remarks, the revered Jyuuken had been reduced to some sort of external rape weapon, it seemed.

And then Tenten pulled out an enormous scroll with the kanji for explosives, and Lee decided it was best he vacate their training ground as soon as possible and find Gai-sensei and allow him to handle this mess.

Neji and Tenten were being unpredictably _insane _and he didn't want to suffer injuries due to his teammates' craziness, which had clearly reached unprecedented levels.

Lee sprinted out of the forest as fast as his weighted legs and gates-closed-body would let him, and not a second too late, he heard a series of loud explosions.

:::::

Lee ran frantically through the village, in search of Gai-sensei; he still hadn't completely absorbed what had transpired earlier with his completely out of character teammates.

Only Gai-sensei would know what to do in such a ludicrous situation.

His half-hour long search proved quite futile. Gai was nowhere to be seen, and surprisingly, most of the shinobi he asked hadn't seen the green beast either.

Lee found this odd; he was sure that Gai would have been on his 293rd lap around the village by then. Considering the man hadn't shown up at their training ground, and he would never miss a day of training without a good reason (he was quite maniacal about their training schedule) Lee surmised that he was probably engrossed in his own exhaustive personal training regime.

Lee did, however, run into Naruto, who was babbling something about a get-together in the onsen that afternoon.

It was a swelteringly hot day and Lee figured a dip in the hot springs would be good for him. It would be relaxing, no doubt, and after facing the hurricane of lunacy that his two teammates had suddenly evolved into, he badly needed some relaxation.

However, he would have to train first, as he had already wasted a good hour of training searching for Gai-sensei and freaking out over Neji and Tenten's ludicrous behavior.

"-so we're thinking of meeting at 10:30, we'll do lunch after, at 12:30, Ichiraku's has a really cool new ramen flavor out," Naruto was saying.

"I shall join you, Naruto-kun," Lee promised, "But I'm afraid I'll be an hour late. I've wiled away too many youthful moments of this day, and I simply must finish 500 sets of-"

"Yeah, yeah, that's cool, see you," Naruto waved to him, and walked off.

'Alright then,' Lee told himself, eyes glinting with a newfound determination, 'if I want to go to that onsen and see Sakura-chan in a towel, first I have to do 100 laps around the village! Then-'

And he was off.

:::::

Chouji Akimichi rather liked relaxing in an onsen.

It was enjoyable, spending time with the other shinobi, and though some may argue that the nudity and proximity could be uncomfortable, Chouji had no qualms.

Besides, he was pretty proud about his body, to put it modestly. He was buff, but he didn't have an ounce of extra poundage. To put in shortly, in his own words, he was a lean mean killing (or rather, rolling) machine.

Though this required a strict diet (which pretty much defied the eating habits of generations of other Akimichis and caused his poor mother much lamentation), Chouji was happy with how he was.

If he was fat, for one thing, how would he have been comfortable sitting butt-naked in a hot spring with a group of other lean, muscled shinobi with washboard abs and rippling pectorals?

The only embarrassment, perhaps, was his teammate Shikamaru (more aptly nicknamed Bakamaru), who'd caused quite the ruckus by slipping on the water and hurtling through the air (and thus showing the entire male populance of Konoha 12 his manly man-goods, which really, should have always remained under the shadow of mystery, out of sight and out of mind) and then belly-flopping right into the middle of the pool.

Still, Chouji thought to himself, Shika-baka was relatively less asinine then some of the other shinobi specimen who were gathered.

Naruto and Sasuke, for one thing, were having some sort of a 'whose bigger' competition.

Coupled with Sasuke's flirtatious tendencies (that playboy clearly made no discrimination based on gender, and his close friendship/rivalry with Naruto only added to the intensity of the duo's interactions) the entire spectacle oozed homoerotica.

"-so of course my katana is bigger than you kunai," Sasuke was saying, flipping his glossy black hair with a perfected smirk that would have caused fangirls to combust like little Uchiha phoenix fireballs.

"Lies!" Naruto screeched, reddening, "Besides, everyone knows that it's _girth _that matters not length-"

"I said bigger, not longer deadlast," Sasuke rolled his eyes, "And I'm definitely bigger-"

"For the love of noodles and soup, you're not, dattebayo!"

"Yes, that's exactly what yours is, a freaking noodle with-"

"SASUKEEEE! I – I – fight me!" Naruto exploded, at a loss of words.

"Come at me with all you got," Sasuke said winking, and at the innuendo, Naruto's face turned the color of his best friend's favorite food.

"ECCHI!" he screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at Sasuke, "Don't hit on me!"

"I wasn't hitting on you, usuratonkachi," Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I'm straight and even if I were bi, I'd prefer real men with big-"

"Mine is freaking huge! It's like Zabuza's sword, believe it!"

"I'm afraid I won't believe it-"

"I'll show you!"

"Is that an invitation?" Sasuke smirked, sliding an arm around Naruto's shoulders and flicking his dark bangs, yet again, and Naruto sputtered in indignation and rage.

"Control your man-crush, dobe," Sasuke murmured, and Chouji figured he was taking the teasing a bit too far.

"TEME!" Naruto growled, and seconds later, the two idiots were underwater, wrestling, grappling and splashing.

Chouji shuddered to think of the implications of this. They were both completely naked, and wrestling which required a lot of touching. And even though the both of them, especially Sasuke, appeared to be straight from their interactions with Hinata and Sakura respectively, Chouji often had his doubts about their sexuality.

He tore his eyes away from Naruto and Sasuke's little underwater dry-humpfest and glanced around the room for a better source of conversation.

Shikamaru was staring vacantly at the ceiling, a bit of drool hanging out of his open mouth. Kiba was trying to scratch his own back and was making weird, mewing sounds.

Chouji's gaze shifted to Neji.

Neji, who was currently standing with his chest and face mashed up against the wooden partition between the guy's onsen and the girl's, as if he was making love to the thing.

Chouji questioned his sanity for a moment, before he noticed that the veins on the side of his face were bulging out.

"Pervert," Chouji muttered, shaking his head to himself, "No wonder they call him Nejiraiya…"

Minato was the Yellow Flash, Sakumo had been the White Fang, and Jiraiya himself the Toad Sage (or Pervy Sage).

However for Neji Hyuuga, the unofficial nickname floating around the village was, indeed, Nejiraiya.

He was surely an incarnation or distant relative of the great Sannin, and most unfortunately for the kunoichi of the village, he had been equipped with two far-seeing Byakugan eyes.

Eyes that could see through walls, through wood, and sadly, through clothes.

With the playboy and notorious flirt Sasuke, and the lecherous Neji, Chouji pitied the girls of the village.

The two greatest clans in Konoha really had produced weirdos.

If only the two had been upright, proper, stick-in-the-ass emos instead of the hormonal-driven morons they were….

"Come on, come on," Neji was muttering crazily to himself, "A little to the right…"

"Oy! Nejiraiya!" Sasuke yelled suddenly, snapping out of his scuffle with Naruto, "Who exactly are you using that Byakugan on?"

"Please, Uchiha," Neji scoffed, "I'm not interested in your precious, flat, pink-headed nuisance."

"Sakura's not – how do you even know that?" Sasuke growled, his eyes flashing red with the Sharingan.

"Hey, hey, Sasuke!" Naruto said excitedly, "I just had the coolest idea. What if someone morphed the Byakugan with the Sharingan! You could see everything through walls and stuff, and _then _record it all! It's like free, replayable porn, anytime!"

Chouji shook his head to himself in disgust, as Kiba snickered, and Sasuke began pummeling Naruto again.

"The ultimate pervert's tool," Neji said to himself, nodding, and continuing to make out with the partition, "Not possible, unfortunately, unless Hinata-sama were to have Sasuke's children, but I don't see that happening anytime soon… oh come, just sit up straight…"

"Speaking of Hinata-sama, isn't she _in _the hot springs?" Shino suddenly pointed out.

Neji blanched, whirling around and finally tearing his face away from the partition.

"I'm _not _looking anywhere _near _Hinata-sama!" he glowered at Shino, "And you just _killed _my sex drive!"

"I didn't know that was possible," Shino commented dryly.

"You _jyuukened _it and you're not even a Hyuuga," Neji snarled, before turning back to the partition.

"…and what happened now?" Shino asked.

"It bounces back pretty quick," Neji said shamelessly, and Chouji blanched at the visual imagery.

"Wait," Chouji said suddenly, feeling a surge of protectiveness towards his shy teammate, "You're not trying to peep on Sakura or Hinata – you wouldn't dare to – not _Ino_-"

"Shut up, Akimichi," Neji shook his eyes, ignoring Chouji's threatening tone and rapidly enlarging fist, "If you must know, it's _Tenten_-"

"Tenten!" Kiba shouted, "But she's your teammate!"

"So? You've had your dirty little cat-eyes fixed on Hinata-sama for years, don't deny it," Neji shot back.

"What?" Naruto yelped.

"I – I – I couldn't help it!" Kiba stammered, blushing, "She dresses really provocatively! It's like – it's like she's _asking _for it!"

"And you call me a pervert," Neji said sniffly.

"I don't misuse my dojutsu so I can see her naked!" Kiba protested.

"Because your nose is so adept at seeing through walls," Neji retorted sarcastically.

"That's not even the point!" Kiba screeched, his wet hair sticking up like an affronted cat's.

"You like – you like Hinata-sama?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at Kiba.

"You're all perverts. Every single one of you. Except you're too scared to show it, and I'm the only one who's decent enough to be an open pervert," Neji was monologuing to himself, "You have all watched porn, you have all fantasized about your teammate or another fellow kunoichi – or shinobi-" his gaze shifted to Naruto and Sasuke before he continued, "It is the natural tendency of mankind. Nature made all men perverts. We are fated to be perverted, to long and lust for the female form. You cannot go against fate, against what is written-"

"Seriously, shut the fuck up," Sasuke muttered, before asking, "You see Tenten every day at training? Why are you so desperate right now?"

"I do, indeed," Neji said, his eyes gleaming, "But she has outsmarted me… she has black fog ninjutsu seals stitched onto her underwear… the one thing my Byakugan cannot see through… though of course, the general shape is visible-"

"Sick," Sasuke shook his head, "And kind of creepy that she has to go to such measures…"

"Now you understand my plight," Neji replied, and suddenly, a shit-eating grin that should rightfully have been banned in most nations, spread across his face.

"Come on… just one more inch and – perfect…"

:::::

Meanwhile in the girl's onsen, things had been relatively more peaceful.

Hinata, unlike Sasuke and Naruto, opted for verbal torture rather than physical violence, and was currently smirking contemptuously, while sending patronizing glances at Sakura.

"What?" Sakura finally asked, after the tenth superior white-eyed look.

"Oh, nothing," Hinata shook her head, her perfect lips curling up, and she pushed a shining, lustrous lock of hair behind her ear with a beautifully manicured finger.

The young Hyuuga heiress guzzled copious amounts of the Hyuuga fortune on her appearance, though admittedly, Hinata had been graced with a great natural beauty and considerable – assets.

Assets, which, were currently almost bouncing above the waterline.

Hinata adjusted her position and smirked again, before speaking.

"I really admire you, Sakura," Hinata said, her voice sickeningly-sweet, with undertones of dark mockery.

"Um – why?" Sakura asked cautiously, wary of the girl's behavior.

To put it plainly, Sakura knew that Hinata could be quite the scary Queen Bitch.

"Well, if I was as – underdeveloped as you," Hinata said patronizingly, her white eyes flicking down from Sakura's face for a moment, "I don't think I'd have the guts to be seen in an onsen with other, more – well, _womanly _kunoichi…"

Ino gasped, her hands coming to her mouth, eyes wide in shock at the utter inappropriateness (and meanness!) or Hinata's words.

"Ouch," Tenten winced sympathetically.

Hinata's words, spoken in that soft, derogatory tone, cut like a sharp kunai through butter, and Sakura gaped at her, flushing.

"I – I – I'm not," she stuttered, unable to get sufficiently angry in front of Hinata.

If it were anyone else who had made that comment, Sakura would have chakra-punched them to Suna by now, but the pinkette was downright terrified of the sexy and undoubtedly _evil _Hyuuga.

"Also, you really need to do something about that atrocious haircut," Hinata ploughed on, threading her fingers through her own, perfectly styled fringe, "I'd suggest bangs like me, to hide that hideously large forehead, but I don't know if you can pull it off…"

Sakura seemed ready to have an epileptic seizure, and Ino timidly stood up for her best friend.

"Sa-Sakura-chan's – fo-forehead isn't – it's not – tha-at b-big," she ventured.

Hinata shot a glare her way, and Ino sunk a few inches into the water.

"Did you say something?" the dark-haired kunoichi snarled, and Ino shook her head quickly.

"Geez, give them a break Hinata," Tenten said, "You're shredding their self-esteem to pieces!"

Hinata just rolled her eyes, and smirked slightly at Tenten knowingly.

"Just like how my cousin shreds your clothes to pieces?" she teased.

She wasn't being vicious; Hinata actually liked Tenten, and could tolerate her far more than the rest of the kunoichi, most of whom were either pussies or pink-haired sluts in her eyes.

In fact, the brunette was one of the few people the Hyuuga heiress wasn't a downright bitch to, the other being her teammates, and of course, her precious Naruto-kun.

Her cousin was another matter altogether.

Neji was her branch-house bitch, and he knew it.

Meanwhile, Tenten was blushing furiously from Hinata's comment.

"He doesn't – it's usually my fault you know," she defended, "I accidentally – cut myself a lot during practice – the weapons slip –"

"Of course they do," Hinata winked at her, before turning back on Ino, "You!"

"Y-yes?" Ino shrank back."

"You actually could be pretty hot if you dressed well," Hinata said, observing Ino none too discreetly, "You have nice features, lovely hair… "

"Um – um – th-thank you," Ino stammered, blushing.

"You're figure's really good too, not as sexy as mine, but definitely leagues above that telephone pole there," Hinata went on, nodding in Sakura's direction.

"Hinata, seriously, stop," Tenten said, as Sakura sank down into the water, looking faintly sick.

"-but you need to stop dressing like a freaking grandmother," Hinata said harshly, "I'd say go for a darker shade of purple because the color you're wearing is way to close to mine, and honestly, you know you can't compete with me-"

"I – I'm not-" Ino began.

"And you need to cut like three feet off of that terrible skirt you wear," Hinata continued, "And a few inches off the top too… if you're still shy, I recommend fishnets, but there's nothing wrong with showing some skin… I mean, Sakura does it, even though she has the figure of a malnourished kid from the Land of Waves-"

"Ok, seriously, _cut it out_!" Sakura shrieked tearfully, "Why are you being such a bitch? What did I _ever _do to you?"

"You don't know?" Hinata sneered, "You stupid little bimbo-"

"Hinata, come on, cut it out," Tenten interrupted, "Or I'll tell Neji-"

"Tell Neji what you want!" Hinata laughed, "He's branch, not like he can do _shit _to me… besides, he won't care, he's probably too busy misusing his dojutsu to spy – on – girls…"

Hinata trailed off suddenly, freezing, as the exact knowledge of what her cousin was most likely doing, hit her.

"Oh – oh crap!" Tenten cried, covering herself up with her hands underwater, "Fuck, I should have thought of that!"

"Eek!" Ino squealed, mimicking Tenten's actions.

Sakura was still too occupied trying to drown herself in her own shame and misery and the steaming bathwater.

"Oh, that little bastard, he's so fucked," Hinata hissed, grabbing the towel from the side of the onsen, and rising out of the water.

:::::

"Fuck," Neji swore, on the other side of the partition, and he leapt away from it, deactivating his Byakugan.

"What happ-" Naruto began, but he was interrupted.

"Eight Trigram, Air Palm!" a female voice shouted from the other side of the partition.

The thin wooden wall was blown apart to reveal an enraged, towel-clad Hinata Hyuuga.

The white towel didn't conceal much of her heaving chest and her perfectly shaped legs. Her wet hair was tied in a messy bun, and she was radiating fury, her white eyes murderous. She was dripping in anger, and of course, water.

Naruto stared at her for a few moments out of glazed blue eyes, before passing out from a nosebleed. Kiba was valiantly trying not to look in the direction of his teammate, though his face was flushed red.

"You. Fucking. Perverted. Fucker." Hinata enunciated through clenched teeth, as she stomped towards her cousin.

"Hinata-sama – I wasn't – I swear-" Neji shrank back until she had him backed up against the other wall.

"Don't _lie _to me!" Hinata yelled, grasping her cousin's cheeks and stretching them out, her nails digging into his skin.

"Ah – ouch – Hinata-sama –" Neji bit out.

"You were trying to peep at Tenten," Hinata said softly at first, before screeching suddenly "WEREN'T YOU?"

Neji flinched at the sudden increase in volume, though his face had turned telltale red.

"Pervert!" Tenten's voice yelled from behind Hinata, and a sudden kunai whizzed through the air and would have impaled Chouji if he hadn't caught it first with his fast reflexes.

"Hey!" Chouji cried.

"Sorry," Tenten called back, "Could you – um – pass that on to my asshole teammate for me?"

"Oh, I'll hurt him more than any kunai would, Tenten," Hinata promised darkly, and Neji whimpered, "Foolish, nii-san. You're going to be my bitch for _weeks _if you don't want me reporting this little incident to my father."

"Y-yes Hinata-sama," Neji said meekly, steadfastly looking away from her chest.

At least he had _some _shame. Neji would never peep on his cousin, or any relation of his for that matter.

His female teammate, of course, was another matter altogether.

Tenten may have aspired to be like Tsunade-sama, but having a perverted teammate who misused his jutsu to check her out, was perhaps the one similarity she loathed.

Said kunoichi, in the meanwhile, had taken advantage of Hinata's terrorizing abilities, to slip out of the hot springs, and into her clothes. Seal-protected underwear on, the kunoichi felt a lot more secure.

Sakura and Ino, too, had changed. Sakura had slipped on a bathrobe and Ino had just changed into her underwear, when there was a sudden crash from above.

From a gaping hole in the ceiling, the spandex-clad figure of Rock Lee came barreling down.

Ino screamed out and attempted to cover herself with a towel, as the rest of the shinobi, followed by an irate Hinata and a pale Neji came crowding into the women's changing room to see what was the matter.

Lee groaned, as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"Damnit… only three hundred and eighty eight… have to – start over…"

"Lee?" Sakura asked, jade eyes widening, "What – how did you-"

"PERVERT!" Hinata shrieked, white eyes flaming, as she stormed over to Lee, still in her towel, "You've gotten it from Neji! Your whole fucking team is full of perverts! Poor Tenten, having to deal with the lot of you!"

"Wh-what?" Lee asked dazedly as he stared at the thunderous Hyuuga.

"Don't _what _me you green psychopath!" Hinata seethed, leaning down and pulling Lee up by his green, spandex collar, "You deliberately broke through the roof, right above the women's changing room! I suppose you didn't think we'd catch your ruse! You're worse than Neji!"

"Hey!" Neji cried, affronted, though not by the insinuation that he was perverted.

No, the Hyuuga took more offense at Hinata's implication that Lee was, perhaps, more perverted than him.

"Hinata-sama, I object," Neji begin, "As a superior pervert, I-"

"Shut up, you!" Hinata shouted, and Neji immediately obeyed, like the good branch house member that he was.

"I was training," Lee said, "I would never commit such an unyouthful, dishonest act, Hinata-sama-"

"I don't believe you!"

"I swear on Gai-sensei, and squirrels! I swear on the springtime of youth, the sunset over the crashing waves, I never-"

"Stop babbling!" Hinata shook Lee roughly.

A mistake.

His spandex, though elastic, was skintight for a reason. It really wasn't meant to be stretched or put under such pressure.

RI-IP!

Hinata gasped, letting go of Lee and leaping backwards.

There was silence, for a few moments, as every shinobi and kunoichi in the room stared at Lee.

Lee, who was now clad in a torn green jumpsuit, which had fallen past his waist and was bunched around his knees.

It would have been better if he was naked under the jumpsuit, at this point.

"…what the _fuck_?" one Sasuke Uchiha finally deemed it appropriate to say, effectively expressing the sentiments of all his fellow ninja in the room.

Because Lee was _not _naked under his jumpsuit. He was, in fact, wearing something. Or rather, two things. Two, bright red and decidedly feminine things. He was wearing-

"M-my underwear?" Tenten shrieked, her face a mix of shock and fury, "How –"

"Noooooo!" Neji moaned, "Lee got into Tenten's panties before I did! Her bra too!"

"SHUT UP!"

This time, both Hinata and Tenten walloped Neji on the head, hard, though the Hyuuga was too busy lamenting over the fact that Lee had, indeed, inexplicably gotten himself, literally, into Tenten's underwear.

"How – why are you dressed like this?" Sakura finally asked.

Lee was looking down at himself in shock as well.

"I – do not know," he admitted.

"Liar!" Hinata yelled.

"No," Sakura shook her head, looking at Lee's bewildered expression, "He's not lying, he didn't do this on purpose… somebody – somebody's pulled a prank!"

She shot a dirty look at Naruto, who shook his head, waving his hands in front of him.

"Why me? It wasn't me!"

"Don't blame him, you hoebag!" Hinata snapped in defense of her love, before looking at Naruto sweetly, "Of course we all know you're not that immature, Naruto-kun," she cooed.

She shot him a charming smile, and Naruto blushed.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan."

"I – I think I may know how this happened," Neji said darkly, "…Gai-sensei."

"Gai-sensei?" Chouji asked, "Why on earth would you blame him?"

"It was him, it has to be," Neji said, speaking more to himself, "In training, whenever I used to activate my Byakugan, when I was around Lee, I - "

He broke off, looking disgusted.

"You accidentally got flashed by him and saw everything under the spandex?" Sasuke sniggered, "Clearly the Sharingan is the better dojutsu considering that I do _not _ever face such unfortunate side-effects."

"It was bad," Neji said, turning a shade of green, "Especially when he used to do the Dynamic Entry, legs spread out and-"

"We get the point!" Sakura snapped, as Lee sat quivering on the floor, looking utterly violated.

To be fair, he had been, in a sense, even if it was unintentional.

"I couldn't stand it," Neji went on, "But I couldn't help it either, because sadly, I'm stuck with the idiot as a teammate-"

"Maybe if you stopped misusing your Byakugan so much, it wouldn't be a problem," Kiba said snidely.

"And I knew that – Tenten – used to attach seals to her underwear – to block my vision," Neji said through gritted teeth.

"Gee, how did you figure that one out, genius?" Hinata asked sarcastically.

"So I asked Gai-sensei if he could get the same kind of seal protection on to the jumpsuits he and Lee wore, but I thought he'd just stitch the seals on-" Neji trailed off.

"…you do not _stitch _things to the spandex," Lee muttered, "It ruins the texture and the flow of the material and hampers fluid movement… that's probably why – "

"Why he made you wear my seal-protected underwear instead?" Tenten shrieked, "What kind of fucking – crazy logic –"

"I didn't know!" Lee bawled, "I'm sorry Tenten, I swear! He must have just slipped it under the spandex somehow, and the jumpsuit is so tight anyways, I didn't notice the difference! I'm not a pervert like Neji, I swear it! I'm not that unyouthful!"

Tenten suddenly went white.

"Does this mean that Gai-sensei also-" she was unable to complete her sentence and looked ready to faint.

"I'm sure he doesn't, he wouldn't fit," Hinata told her consolingly, "Besides you'd have noticed if you'd kept losing underwear, right?"

"I would have, and I've only ever lost one pair, on a mission when my pack was stolen, but then how…"

Neji gulped and Tenten's brown eyes widened as realization hit her. She turned slowly towards Neji, a mix of fury and a blush coloring her face.

"You – didn't?" she whispered threateningly.

"Didn't what?" Neji asked innocently.

"That mission – when my pack went missing – you could have found it using your Byakugan…"

"I didn't," Neji lied with a straight face, as Tenten advanced on him.

"He did," Hinata supplied helpfully, "He's kept it in his drawer for a year and you do _not _want to know what he's done with it…"

"How the hell do _you _know that?" Neji blanched, looking mortified, "Did you-"

"I do _not _misuse my Byakugan, jackass!" Hinata screeched, "But you're not exactly quiet, and the walls aren't soundproof, and I'm not stupid!"

Tenten, on the other hand, looked ready to explode. She wasn't far from turning into a human version of Gai-sensei's Morning Peacock jutsu and splurting out fireballs in every possible direction.

"…also the maid's told me about the underwear, she was cleaning your drawers when she found it," Hinata added, "You really should have hidden it better if you didn't want me to find out, you know they tell me everything-"

"Wh-why didn't you-" Tenten began, but Hinata shook her off.

"I didn't know it was yours! I just thought he had a weird fetish, though I should have guessed!"

"Ew! Ew! Ew!" Lee was yelping, now desperately pulling at Tenten's underwear, "Get it off me! Get it off me!"

Lee struggled with the bra, utterly unaware about the functions and workings of a bra clasp.

Neji noticed this, as did Sasuke.

"Tch, that's _not _how you take it off," Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Inexperienced loser."

"You are lacking in the simple and essential ability to undress a woman," Neji scoffed, "Shame on you. This is why you will never succeed in life."

"Just – help me get it off!" Lee whined, "I don't want to wear Tenten's underwear, especially if Neji has done unyouthful things in it! That's practically like a three-way and I'm not ready for that kind of-"

"PERVERT!" Tenten screamed for possibly the tenth time that day, and she whipped out a large staff and was about to lunge forwards.

"Yeah, go Tenten!" Hinata, ever bloodthirsty, cheered.

Sakura vaguely wondered to herself how Lee even knew the meaning of a three-way.

"No, don't," Neji said, running forwards to stop his homicidal teammate, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her backwards into him.

…or maybe he just wanted an excuse to get as physically close to her and touch her as much as possible.

Tenten wasn't stupid though, and she spun around (still in his arms) and beat him instead.

"YOU!" she shouted, "Don't think I haven't forgotten! This is all _your _fault to begin with! I will _murder _you Neji Hyuuga!"

Lee struggled to get naked, and Tenten and Neji had started their second non-training-related clash of that morning, beating Naruto and Sasuke's record for the day (Even though Naruto and Sasuke had clashed twice, their fights so far had been limited to taijutsu only, whereas here, even ninjutsu and weapon summoning were being employed).

The rest of the Konoha 12, namely the rookies, took this as their cue to leave.

Ino dashed into another changing room, pulled on her modest clothes and fled the scene.

Shikamaru muttered something about getting barbeque, and disappeared.

Sasuke, with a suave flick of his ebony hair (which ended up splashing droplets all over an annoyed Naruto) walked up to Sakura, and smoothly asked her if she wanted him to join her for lunch, to which the kunoichi almost immediately replied with a blushing yes.

And Hinata, after changing into her clothes (which quite possibly resulted in her baring more skin, since the towel at least covered her stomach, unlike the top she was wearing which could only be classified as some variant of a mesh sports bra) demanded that a nosebleeding Naruto buy her ramen, and dragged the overly excited blonde shinobi off with her.

Naruto, of course, had no complaints. Ramen, and a sexy as hell, aggressive kunoichi (that too, Hinata!) was an Icha Icha worthy combination, and he cheerfully allowed himself to be manhandled, as Kiba watched almost enviously.

Chouji decided he was better off working out, a lonely Kiba craved feline company, and Shino just wanted to get the hell out of there.

So that left Team Gai, in the steamy hot springs, wet and fighting it out.

Lee finally managed to get lose of Tenten's bra, but a second after he'd pulled the other garment down, Neji had air-palmed him out of the roof, and far away.

Which left Neji, and Tenten.

Mega-perverted, all-seeing, lecherous, lustful, hormone-driven Neji.

And Tenten, his pretty brunette teammate, who, despite her evident rage, had always found his chiseled face, built physique and white eyes a turn-on.

And they were alone.

In the hot (albeit damaged) springs.

"Turn on your Byakugan, and I will _ensure _that you are permanently incapable of jerking yourself off," Tenten hissed threateningly.

"Does that mean you'll cut off my hand or my –"

"_Shut up!"_

Neji smirked, tilting his head so that his long sheet of dark hair framed his face attractively.

"Tenten, to be honest… your shirt is so wet that I don't _need _to activate my Byakugan to see through it right now…"

And what happened after is something of the nature that can only be written in a certain series of small orange books, which was the preferred literature of a certain Sharingan-wielding shinobi.

:::::

"Seriously, Kakashi, you gotta believe me," a dark-haired man was saying, "They're brilliant! Just give it a shot."

"Never!" the silver-haired jounin sniffed, crossing his arms, "Icha Icha indeed. You, Obito, are _disgraceful."_

Because, of course, Obito was alive.

"Tell me that once you try some of these tactics on Rin," Obito winked at his teammate.

"You're disgusting," Kakashi announced, "And so is your porn. And it's none of your business _what _I do with Rin!"

"It's not porn," Obito argued, affronted, "Jiraiya-sama would be hurt! This is highly tasteful literature with subtle undertones of an erotic nature-"

"It is porn, Obito," Kakashi rolled his eyes, "And I'm _never _touching it… come on, I'm bored, let's do a hundred laps around the village on our hands! I challenge you!"

:::::

_A/N: Hee hee that was fun._

_I LOVE Ero-Neji and Bitch!Badass!Hinata. GOD, those AU Hyuuga just have so much scope for (bad fanfictionesque and OOC) fun crazy characterization! _

_I know I exaggerated Hinata's bitchiness/use of expletives… but I mean, in the cover she's practically kissing Naruto and showing the middle finger to everyone else… so I don't think this seems too far off._

_And also, in case you guys have been following Naruto SD: Rock Lee Chronicles (Watch it! Soo funny, so much TeamGaiLove and so much NejiTenLee happy friendliness and love!), there's a lot of ridiculous shit you can get away with if you're in Team Gai, so yeah, the Lee wearing Tenten's underwear happens. It also happens in the movie, after the onsen scene. _

_I don't know much about the onsen scene, except for bits I picked up: Neji peeping, Hinata getting pissed at Neji and stretching his cheeks, Lee falling through, and for some inexplicable reason wearing Tenten's underwear (I still don't see how that happened… my explanation is ridiculous, but really Kishimoto, HOW?)_

_So I tried piecing it together and got this. _

_And yeah, from the cover and Neji's expression and hand position in his sketches, he seems like a mega-pervert to me! (The cover has him eyeing clumsy, patched-up Tenten, which makes me happy. That's NejiTen for sure! I mean, in the manga canon, I think they have a thing, and in Road to Ninja his hidden desires actually come out in a very flamboyant and perverted way)_

_Anyways I hope you enjoyed this little piece. If you're interested (insert shameless self-promotion) in reading more about the AU!Characters, namely Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Gai, Hinata, Naruto and Ino (with some fluffy!SasuSaku and sexy!NaruHina, check out my other fic: Rock Lee's Path on the Road to Ninja._

_I wrote that 3 days before the movie, and this was actually an extension of that. That fic starts off with the NejiTen scene, but doesn't have the onsen scene, and has a lot more SS and NH._

_AND yes. If MinaKushi can be alive (somuchlove) so can Obito (assuming he's not fake!Madara but that's another debate altogether)_

_Anyways, please please review and lemme know what you think! _

_ALSO. If you're from Japan and you've seen the film PLEASE PM ME I am DYING and I have SO MANY QUESTIONS! (Like this famous Itachi/Sakura moment I've heard about. WUT IS THAT?)_

_…Itachi is just too badass and awesome and sexy for anyone._

_And on that note I shall end this excessively long author's note._

_Much ninja love,_

_HQ _


	20. Neji died, Tenten cried, Kishimoto lied

_Author's Notes:_

_ Crack. My response to the last couple Naruto manga chapters (614-616). Because in terms of Neji and Tenten's character treatment, they've been sort of ridiculous._

_Pairing: NejiTen_

_Warning: _

_Plotless, includes much breaking of the fourth wall. Major spoilers for Naruto 614-616, and also Naruto SD (Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth anime). References to Naruto SD episodes, especially episode 41, which will seem altogether ludicrous if you haven't seen them and thus have no idea what the characters are talking about. On that note, if you haven't seen Naruto SD, go watch it. It's a bunch of chibilicious cracktastic craziness that really brightens your day. And heck, it's definitely my happy place right now given the recent manga developments… _

-X-

It was just another warm, peaceful day in Konoha-

"Hakke kuushou!"

CRASH!

"TENTEN!"

The brunette looked up from her task of sharpening her weapons, a little surprised, as her usually calm and collected teammate stormed into the training ground. Neji's Byakugan was blazing as he stopped in front of her, before crossing his arms and tipping his nose up ever so slightly, a rather anticlimactic display of his displeasure after he'd pretty much air-palmed a tree out of his way just seconds ago.

Tenten surveyed him for a moment, noting his resemblance to an affronted feline, and then returned to her kunai.

"Tenten."

There it was. Icy. Cold. Hard, with just a hint of suppressed anger.

"What?" she finally asked, crossing her arms and mirroring his action, "If this is about that latest cross-dressing episode, it was all Lee. I had _nothing _to do with it."

"It's not about _that_," Neji spat at her, "Though you really need to stop stealing my costumes."

"I don't steal your costumes!" Tenten cried, "It's not my fault the producers think you can pull off dresses better than I do, and honestly Neji, with the hair can you even-"

"Do. Not. Insult. My. Hair," Neji growled at her, "Especially now. Especially after what you _did._"

Tenten looked genuinely confused at his vicious tone. Neji was upset, more upset than any of Lee's cross-dressing skit antics had ever made him.

"What did I do?" she finally asked, seeing that he had not deigned to elaborate.

"Chapter 616," Neji finally muttered, practically spitting out every syllable with every ounce of Hyuuga condescension that he could muster, "Does it mean anything to you?"

"Chapter 61 – oh," Tenten trailed off, realizing, "That… yeah, about that-"

"Do you consider me a friend, Tenten?" Neji asked softly, though his tone was deadly this time, "Or even if not a friend, a teammate? A worthy companion of sort?"

"Neji," Tenten sighed, realizing where he was going with this, "Of course I do, you're my _best friend-"_

"I used to think I was," Neji agreed, eyes flashing, "Until your _utter and absolute betrayal!_"

"I – how did I _betray _you?!" Tenten cried.

"Aside from stealing my costumes and gallivanting around the sets of Naruto SD dressed like a bishounen so I have to be a woman-"

"I don't steal your costumes and you do make a pretty woman-"

"Shut up! And that one time you were pretending to be in love with _Orochimaru, _that snake _traitor_-"

"That wasn't me, you idiot! That was all Lee's crap-"

"And leaving me in the firecracker costume to be blown up when you very well could have used your weapons to defend me-"

"You could have used your own Kaiten!"

"You're supposed to cover my blind spot!"

"-okay, whatever, everyone knows those producers are on crack, get to the point!"

"Oh. Yes," Neji paused for a moment, taking a breath before he began his rant, "The point. The point is, in a recent chapter of the Naruto manga, our beloved creator decided it would be a good idea to kill me off."

"I'm aware," Tenten said sadly.

"Of course, I didn't want to die," Neji said bitterly, "I wanted to become clan head and marry yo-u know, somebody, and have children."

"I know," Tenten said softly.

"I admit I got a rather grand death scene, defending Hinata-sama, and Naruto, and their love – but nonetheless, the fact is, I was impaled by a bunch of – I'm not exactly sure what those were exactly – and I died…"

"Oh, Neji…"

"However," Neji glared at her, "To add insult to injury – or rather, to _death, _because you know, I _died_-"

"I got that already," Tenten rolled her eyes, and Neji's glare escalated to Sasuke Uchiha levels of animosity.

"I _died, _and what would you know? My best friend, my closest – person – _you_ – you showed _no _reaction."

"Neji, I –"

"Last year, I figured you were waiting, waiting to let it all out later, so I let it slide, despite the stabs of betrayal battering my _dead, _non-beating heart-"

"But-"

"This year, however… you came, you have panel-time…"

"One freaking panel!"

"And you didn't react, Tenten," Neji almost seemed to be sulking now.

"But-"

"You're best friend, your sparring partner – _I – died, _and you didn't even shed a tear! You didn't even look upset!"

"I promise I was, I'm just drawn badly-"

"You didn't even _say _anything!" Neji was practically yelling now, looking utterly furious.

"Actually," Tenten muttered, "I said that one word, remember?"

"Oh. Yes," Neji said acerbically, remembering, "You said Lee. Your one word, after _I _died, was 'Lee'. Clearly you were more upset about him being sad that I died over the fact that it was I, in fact, who _died."_

"That wasn't it-"

"Because you know, it wasn't Lee who sacrificed himself for Naruto and Hinata. It wasn't Lee who had sharp – things sticking into him, and blood pooling out. It wasn't Lee who was gone forever-"

"Goddamnit, shut _up _already!" Tenten screeched, "I got it, you died, nobody cried, get over yourself!"

"Tenten!" Neji gaped at her, utterly insulted, "How could you?!"

"It isn't my fault I don't get any fucking panel time, or any good lines! It isn't my fault Kishimoto doesn't portray my character properly!"

"Excuses, excuses," Neji said sniffily, "I died and you didn't care. Some friend you are."

Tenten just ignored him and continued her rant.

"It isn't my fault that Kishimoto-san accidentally made my eyebrows too thick when he was drawing my face! It wasn't my fault that he was on some sort of deadline and had to get the chapter out as soon as possible, so instead of re-drawing the page just decided to draw the rest of me as Lee instead!"

"Huh?"

"That was my scene, damnit! I was supposed to be the one breaking down and holding you and crying! You're pissed off he killed you, well be happy you at least got something! I'm good as dead with the kind of panel time I'm getting!"

"…still, you weren't sad enough," Neji muttered, though he appeared slightly mollified.

"Just because I don't make everything into one big melodramatic production like you do," Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Melodramatic?!" Neji cried, sliding into a fighting stance, "I'll show you melodramatic-"

Tenten pulled out a scroll, but there really wasn't any need because what came next was something that no weapon could block…

"Skit no jutsu!"

_"Where are you?!" Neji cried, Byakugan pulsing as he shoved aside hordes of enemy shinobi, "Kaiten!"_

_He spun around, clearing his path and charged forward, hair streaming behind him, hands moving frantically, "Tenten! Hold on!"_

_He found her then, lying on the ground in a pool of blood, metal piercing her body._

_"Tenten!" Neji gasped, "No – no – wait –"_

_"N-Neji…" Tenten croaked, her brown eyes fluttering, "You – you found me…"_

_"I'll always find you," Neji murmured softly, and he dropped down to his knees next to her, gently picking her up and cradling her to his chest, "Hold on now, I'll get you to a medic and-"_

_"N-Neji," Tenten coughed, spitting out blood, and he wiped it away with his fingers, "It – it's no use – I – I can't –"_

_"Don't say that," Neji urged her, his eyes shining with tears, "You'll be fine… you're not going anywhere… not when I – "_

_"N-Neji-" Tenten managed to gasp out, her eyes fluttering shut, "You – I'm glad we –"_

_"Tenten! Tenten," Neji brushed her bangs out of her eyes, grasping her face in his hands, "Tenten, no, don't, don't close your eyes, stay with me-"_

_"Neji… I…"_

_"MEDIC!" Neji shouted, "Hinata-sama! Lee! Get a medic, NOW!"_

_"Goodbye… Neji…"_

_"No –" Neji choked, shaking Tenten slightly, pulling her closer to his chest, "Tenten – you – no – no – damn it – "_

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Neji pounded the ground with his fist, shaking the log he was holding.

Tenten looked impressed.

"Gee, Neji," she said softly, "I've got to admit… that was… that was-"

"What I would have done had our roles been reversed and _exactly _what you _should _have done but didn't?" Neji shot at her, "I'm aware."

"I was going to say… moving…" Tenten informed him, "But I suppose."

"Moving," Neji growled, "I'll show you-"

_"I can't do this," Tenten said brokenly, crumpling to her knees next to the tombstone, "Without you… I'm – I'm lost…"_

_She pulled out a kunai then, her sharpest one, and it gleamed under the moonlight._

_"I'm coming, Neji," Tenten whispered, before-_

"CUT!" Tenten screamed, "What the hell was that?! You didn't expect me to go suicidal on you?! You're crazy!"

"No, no, you're right, that was all wrong," Neji muttered, "You can't die, not when-"

_"Neji…" Tenten murmured, smiling at the tombstone, "You know… I'll always have a part of you inside me now…"_

"Ecchi!" Tenten screeched, "You made that line sound so wrong!"

"You're completely missing the point!" Neji flushed.

_Tenten patted her stomach, slightly swollen under her white shirt._

_"I hope he has your eyes…"_

"WHAT?!" Tenten screeched even louder this time, "Why did you make me – me – pregnant?!"

_The brunette caressed her swollen belly lovingly, pushing her long hair out of her eyes._

_"He's going to be an excellent shinobi," the young woman said, her lilac eyes lighting up, "With my Byakugan and your skills with weapons-"_

"No!" Neji cried, panicking, "Cut! Cut!"

"…so you made yourself pregnant?" Tenten groaned.

"THIS IS ALL LEE'S INFLUENCE!" Neji almost screamed, "I don't even have control of myself anymore!"

"Well, now we know who wears the pants in our relationship," Tenten smirked, before flushing, "Not that – uh – we have a – relationship in – in _that _way or anything."

"What? Oh," Neji caught on, "Of course. I mean, of course not."

"You're into Hinata anyways-"

"What?! _No! _No, she's my sister, damnit! Stupid Lee and his stupid ideas! Hinato and Nejiette! Completely messed it up! It was supposed to be Nejio and Tentenette but the blasted writers apparently wanted the show to be crack, so only _non_-canonical pairings were promoted-"

"-wait, _what?_"

"What?" Neji asked, feigning cluelessness.

"You – you made me pregnant in your stupid skit," Tenten muttered, "And you've been acting really prissy about that last manga chapter-"

"I'm sorry, is it irrational for me to be upset that my best friend didn't give even the slightest damn about _my tragic and heroic death?!"_

"What did you have to be so damn heroic for anyways?!" Tenten lashed out at him, "Who told you to die?! Who told you to go and sacrifice yourself? Who told you to leave me here to deal with that non-stop spandex circus all day and all night, all by myself?! Who told you to –"

She broke off, shaking slightly.

"Don't hold it all in," Neji told her softly, "Sometimes it helps, letting it out."

"I – I just," Tenten looked away from him.

He took a step towards her, two fingers brushing softly against her cheek.

"Kishimoto-san."

"H-huh?" Tenten stared at him, cheeks flushing.

"Kishimoto-san told me to sacrifice myself and die. The same way he told you not to react to my death, though I don't see what purpose the latter serves…"

"Oh. Oh, yeah. Of course. Sorry-"

"I'm sorry too," Neji murmured, "For over-reacting."

"Well, I underreacted," Tenten shrugged, "It's only natural."

"After all, I'm the woman in this relationship, right?" Neji joked, before catching himself, "I mean – friendship. Companionship. You know?"

"Your last dream sequence," Tenten said softly, "In episode 41… the one where we went to Hawaii…"

"What about it?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I really liked that blue bikini you had me wear," Tenten said cheekily.

It was Neji's turn to blush.

"It looked good on you."

"Well, thank you."

"This is why they should let me decide your wardrobe, rather than Lee and the other idiots."

"Neji!" Tenten whacked him on the arm slightly, though she giggled, "The fans did say that I looked – well – better than usual in that episode… in certain aspects…"

"What can I say, I know you best," Neji smirked.

"Ecchi!" Tenten tried to sound scandalized, but it didn't come out as more than a squeak, because suddenly, he had leaned in, and his lips were so close to her own.

"Next time," Neji murmured, "If they decide to kill me off again… in Naruto SD, perhaps…"

"God, no," Tenten shuddered, "And leave me to deal with that idiosyncrasy? Lee and Gai's craziness gets amplified by a hundred times in that show!"

"It would be a good riddance, I'd say," Neji said, "At least there'd be no more skits."

"And skirts."

"Shut up, Tenten!"

"Anyways, go on," Tenten locked her eyes with his, aware of his proximity again, "Next time?"

"Try to show a little more… _feeling, _you know?"

"Feeling?" Tenten raised an eyebrow, acutely aware of his hands that were now resting on her waist, "Feeling how?"

"Like this."

And then he kissed her.

And then the very next day, one weapon-armed Tenten carrying a massive spiked ball showed up outside a certain someone's office.

"Tenten!" a young Japanese man greeted her, rising from his desk, "My favorite character! What can I do for you today?"

"Well, you have two options," Tenten said through gritted teeth, shifting the spiked ball on her shoulders, "Massive reincarnation jutsu… or, if that's too redundant for you, which it probably is… I want a dramatic death scene in this war!"

And then she died.

At least in the manga.

And so Neji and Tenten lived happily ever after in Heaven.

Or, in the happy, crazy little forever world of Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth.

The End.

-X-

_Author's Notes: _

_Thanks for reading! After 616 I was going to go for angst… you know, show Tenten mourning Neji's death later on after keeping a strong front before – and then I saw, screw this, let's just go the Springtime of Youth!way and write crack. _

_Also, if any of the inside jokes/references didn't make sense, feel free to PM me and I can explain if you'd like! (It's all mostly from the recent manga and Naruto SD episodes).  
_

_Hope you enjoyed this ridiculous piece. Please review! _


	21. The Perils of HinaTen

_Author's Note: Sort of like a continuation to my last chapter. Basically, more crack. Parody. Breaking of fourth wall. Demise of plot. Some OOCness. And based off of Naruto SD episode 42. Which, if you haven't watched, don't read because this will make no sense. Spoilers for Naruto SD 42 and manga 617._

_Also, if you haven't go watch Naruto SD!_

_Also, do you guys think I should make these mini-stories a more frequent thing, after each Naruto SD episode? They're so fun to parody and make NejiTenish. Let me know!_

_Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned Naruto, certain characters would NOT be dead… _

-X-

It was just another warm, peaceful day in Konoha-

"Soshoryu!"

CRASH!

"NEJI!"

In a fluid and practiced move, the meditating Hyuuga quicky rose from his position and spun into his signature Kaiten, the deadly weapons aimed at him bouncing harmlessly off. He smirked as they clattered to the floor and his chakra shield dissipated to reveal one furious looking Tenten.

"Okay you little bitch," Tenten seethed, "Are you done? Did you have your fun?"

"Good morning to you too," Neji said pleasantly.

"Neji!" Tenten screeched, "Don't tell me you're still pissed off about chapter 615!"

"You failed to emote appropriately following my tragic and heroic death," Neji scoffed, "You deserve these consequences."

"God, you angsty woman!" Tenten yelled, "No wonder Naruto SD makes you cross-dress so much, you're personality is clearly fit for the role!"

"How. Dare. You," Neji glared at her, before smiling suddenly, "Though if I recall correctly, this episode, I wasn't the one cross-dressing."

"Yes, they made me a man," Tenten rolled her eyes, "I really don't care. I like wearing men's clothes."

"And they say I have a gender crisis," Neji sniffed.

"I'm a tomboy, Neji," Tenten informed him, "You, however…"

"Don't even go there," Neji muttered, "Though I have to say this episode was acceptable."

"You were a freaking horse, Neji. Lee _rode _you," Tenten snickered, "I gotta say, that's a lot worse-"

"SHUT UP!" Neji roared, "Damned directors, had to shove in that last scene! It was all going so well!"

"That's what you get for trying to blackmail the production team," Tenten rolled her eyes, "Did it really have to be me though? I thought we were friends!"

"So did I," Neji said, "Until that time I _died _and you didn't _care_-"

"Get over that, already!"

"Still. My blackmail worked."

"So it did, for one episode," Tenten shrugged, "But why did it have to be ME in that movie love scene with Hinata?! And you didn't even bother getting me a proper costume!"

"I am sick of these disgusting insinuations that Hinata-sama and I have a romantic connection," Neji stated, "It had to be ended, and what better way than to make me her father in a romantic skit, and have someone else as the potential lover?"

"I get that," Tenten nodded, "But why me?! I'm sure Lee would have been more than happy to do it-"

"You think I trust that imbecile around Hinata-sama!" Neji snapped, "Never!"

"Kiba-"

"It's a crack show, Tenten, they'd never show a pairing that was actually plausible. Why do you think they never show us together in those skits?"

"Well still!" Tenten fought back a blush, "There's always Naruto! And they show him and Hinata together, so your point doesn't even hold!"

"Well Naruto and Hinata are so obvious it's painful," Neji said, "We, however, were quite subtle I believe, and so-"

"This isn't about us!" Tenten shrieked, "I'm just saying, why did I have to be Hinata's lover in this skit?"

"I'm glad you understand how it feels, Tenten," Neji said sympathetically, "If you want to talk about it, I'm here."

"You idiot!" Tenten hissed, "Do you have any idea how much Naruto has been annoying me about that last episode? Ever since chapter 615, he's been weirdly possessive about Hinata. It's adorable, but when its directed at you, it's _not _fun to deal with, especially when he's trying to guilt me with one of those speech-jutsu things about lesbianism and how it's okay and he accepts me for who I am as long as I stay away from _his_ girl, you know, he calls her that now…"

Neji smiled fondly as Tenten took a breath mid-rant, before walking up to her.

"You know, that was the first skit I wouldn't have minded cross-dressing for," he murmured, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Wh-what?" Tenten flushed, "You can't be serious."

"I never get good skits with you," Neji said, "I mean, I know the skits are ridiculous on principle, but if we're going to be made fools of, I'd rather get something out of it…"

"Guess I get what you mean," Tenten smiled, "Plus all those guys on Naruto Forums, at the Neji x Tenten FC… they'd like that wouldn't they…"

"But then again, a crack show will only show crack pairings," Neji shrugged, "What has my life come to? I'm dead in the manga and… well, this…"

"Mhm," Tenten looped her arms around Neji's neck.

"But really Tenten, it couldn't be that bad," Neji said, "I mean, Hinata-sama and I look similar, she has the same eyes-"

"_Please _don't!" Tenten smacked him, "The Hinata/Tenten shippers don't need you encouraging them!"

"You're right," Neji blanched, "I'm sorry… even if the idea of you with another girl could be mildly hot, Hinata-sama is my sister and that's just – not – no…"

"Neji," Tenten growled dangerously, "Keep this up, and I will ask the directors to have a cross-dressing romance between you and Lee in the next episode, and you and I both know how high a possibility there is of that particular scenario being fulfilled."

"God no," Neji shuddered, "Please… after that nonsense in chapter 617, the idiots who support NejiLee have been having a field day…"

"That's harsh, I mean, I think it was a good reaction out of Lee," Tenten said reasonably, "I just hate that I was cut out of it, _again_."

"Maybe Kishimoto-san thought your grief was too great to draw and decided to skip it altogether?" Neji asked hopefully, "You know, if you can't do it right, don't do it at all?"

"Maybe," Tenten murmured, her hands running down Neji's chest, "You better not die for real, though. You know, if you did, I'd be really sad."

Neji smiled softly, kissing her hair.

"I know."

He lowered his head then, and Tenten leaned upwards before-

"RASENGAN!"

"Not again," Tenten groaned, burying her face in Neji's chest.

"Naruto," Neji glared at the blonde boy, his Byakugan pulsing, "For the last time, it wasn't her fault, and she's not lesbian. I can attest to that. Leave her _alone_."

"Oh, it's not Tenten I'm mad at right now," Naruto glared at Neji, "I thought you were one of the biggest NaruHina shippers Neji! Why'd you tell the producers to put Tenten in that love movie scene? I wanted to be a big hero and come in and save her!"

"After I died for you, you really don't have the right to tell my anything," Neji said icily, "And if you must know, you were my first choice, but they said that with all the attention being given to you two in the manga, they wanted to opt for something more ridiculous."

"That's crazy!"

"It's a show centered around Lee. What do you expect? Besides, aren't you glad it was Tenten and not another _male_? Like, Kiba or Lee?"

"Well… fine…" Naruto seemed mollified, "Fine… but tell the directors, next episode, I want an awesome scene with Hinata-chan!"

"Don't be so greedy," Neji chastised, "Look at how well the manga is going for you. If anything, _I'm _the one who deserves a nice skit with _Tenten_."

"…fair enough," Naruto said after a moment, "Sorry about that, bro… and thanks for – you know, dying and stuff."

"My pleasure," Neji said tonelessly, before turning back to Tenten.

A few moments after Naruto left, it hit him.

"Wait! Wait! Bro?! Brother?! _Naruto_! You're not-"

"Not yet, Neji," Tenten placated him, "Not yet… it's just a way of speaking…"

"Thank God," Neji muttered, "Because killing me off without even a kiss, and then giving Hinata-sama a marriage… that's true Main House favoritism right there…"

"You do realize she's going to have a marriage and kids eventually right," Tenten said sadly, "And you…"

"Well, then good for her," Neji said, his eyes suddenly narrowing as he grabbed Tenten's waist.

"Wha-what happened?!" Tenten spluttered, before Neji descended on her and kissed her roughly.

"Screw the manga…" he bit out between kisses, "Or better yet… I'll screw you instead."

And, true to his name, that's exactly what he did.

-X-

_Author's Note:_

_Because that was totally why there was a HinaTen skit in the last episode. Neji was sick of being in them, and he could only trust Tenten with Hinata. Explains everything. And yeah, Neji's name is Japanese for screw. This is really funny because whenever I write Neji-kun anywhere in Japanese, google will translate it to Mr. Screw. Hilarious, actually. _

_Also, to all those who thought NejiHina was legit because of the skits? Please. It's a fact that the skits only showcase crack pairings. And since HinaTen is now one of them, I will laugh at every NejiHina skit that comes up. _

_Hope you enjoyed it. Please review! _

_P.S: To my friends at Naruto forums (since I know now that you guys read these!) I love you guys and this one is for you! I'm sure you got the little shout-out =) _


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